-^<^^^^^^fe^/ 


THE    IDOL   OF   BUDDHA 


THE 


ROMANCE  OF  THE  HAREM 


BY 


MES.  ANNA  H.  LEONOWENS, 

AUTHOR    OF    "  THE    ENGLISH    GOVERNESS    AT   THE    SIAMESE    COURT. 


Illustrate*). 


THE      EMERALD      IDOL. 


BOSTON: 
JAMES   R.    OSGOOD   AND   COMPANY, 

Late  Ticknor  &  Fields,  axd  Fields,  Osgood,  &  Co. 

1873. 


Entered  according  to  Act  of  Congress,  in  the  year  1872, 

BY    JAMES    R.    OSGOOD    &    CO., 

in  the  Office  of  the  Librarian  of  Congress,  at  Washington. 


University  Press:  Welch,  Bigelow,  &  Co., 
Cambridge. 


PREFACE 


91  rpRUTH  is  often  stranger  than  fiction/'  but  so 
J-  strange  will  some  of  the  occurrences  related  in  the 
following  pages  appear  to  Western  readers,  that  I  deem  it 
necessary  to  state  that  they  are  also  true.  Most  of  the 
stories,  incidents,  and  characters  are  known  to  me  per- 
sonally to  be  real,  while  of  such  narratives  as  I  received 
from  others  I  can  say  that  "  I  tell  the  tale  as  it  was  told 
to  me,"  and  written  down  by  me  at  the  time.  In  some 
cases  I  have  substituted  fictitious  for  real  names,  in  order 
to  shield  from  what  might  be  undesired  publicity  persons 
still  living. 

I  gladly  acknowledge  my  indebtedness  to  Mr.  Francis 
George  Shaw  for  valuable  advice  and  aid  in  the  prep- 
aration of  this  work  for  the  press,  and  to  Miss  Sarah 
Bradley,  daughter  of  the  Eev.  Dr.  Bradley  of  Bangkok, 
for  her  kindness  in  providing  me  with  photographs, 
otherwise  unattainable,  for  some  of  the  illustrations. 

New  Brighton,  Staten  Island, 
September  13,  1872. 


DEDICATION. 


To  the  noble  and  devoted  women  whom  I  learned  to  know, 
to  esteem,  and  to  love  in  the  city  of  the  Nang  Harm,  I  dedicate 
the  following  pages,  containing  a  record  of  some  of  the  events  con- 
nected with  their  lives  and  sufferings. 


LIST  OF  ILLUSTRATIONS. 


I.  The  Idol  of  Buddha   .... 

II.  The  Emerald  Idol 

III.  A  Siamese  Slave-Girl      .... 

IV.  A  Siamese  Flower-Girl       .... 
V.  Guard  of  Amazons 

VI.  Palm-Trees  near  the  New  Road,  Bangkok 

VII.  A  Young  Siamese  Nobleman   . 

VIII.  Smayatee 

IX.  A  Royal  Actress 

X.  RuNGEAH,    THE    CAMBODIAN    PROSELYTE      . 

XI.  Ladies  of  the  Royal  Harem  at  Dinner 

XII.  A  Laotian 

XIII.  Crenellated  Towers  of  the  Inner  City 

XIV.  An  Amazon  of  the  Royal  Body  Guard     . 
XV.  Queen  of  Siam 

XVI.  King  of  Siam 

XVII.  Temple  and  Ruins  of  Kampoot 


Frontispiece. 

Ttgnette. 

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CONTENTS. 


Chapter  Paob 

I.    "Huang  Thai,"  or  the  Kingdom  op  the  Freb         .       .  1 

II.    Tuptim  :  A  Tragedy  of  the  Harem        .        .        .        .  14 

III.  Tuptim's  Trial 25 

IV.  The  King  changes  his  Mind 35 

V.    Slavery  in  the  Grand  Royal  Palace  of  the  "Invincible 

and  Beautiful  Archangel"      ......  42 

VI.    Khoon  Thow  App,  the  Chief  of  the  Female  Judges  .  58 

VII.    The  Rajpoot  and  his  Daughter 65 

VIII.    Among  the  Hills  of  Orissa 72 

IX.    The  Rebel  Duke  P'haya  Si  P'hifoor         ....  77 

X.    The  Grandson  of  Somdetch  Ong  Yai,  and  his  Tutor 

P'hra  Chow  Saduman 84 

XI.    The  Heroism  of  a  Child 102 

XII.    The  Interior  of  the  Duke   Chow  P'haya    Mandtree's 

Harem 107 

XIII.  A  Night  of  Mysteries 112 

XIV.  "  Weeping  may  endure  for  a  Night,  but  Joy  cometh  in 

the  Morning" 118 

XV.    The  Favorite  of  the  Harem 122 

XVI.    May-Pea h,  the  Ladtian  Slave-Girl 145 

XVII.    An  Accidental  Discovery  of  the  Whereabouts  of  the 

Princess  Sunartha  VisMrrA 151 

XVIII.    Lady  Thieng,   the  Head  Wife  and  Superintendent  of 

the  Royal  Cuisine 155 


Vlll  CONTENTS. 

XIX.    The  Princess  Sunartha  Vismita 160 

XX.    Pak  Laut,  or  the  Mouth  of  the  Ocean        .       .       .165 

XXI.    Narrative  of  the  Princess  of  Chiengmai  .        .        .  171 

XXII.    "Bijrepuree,"  or  the  Diamond  City       ....  175 

XXIII.  The  Deaf  and  Dumb  Changeling         .....  180 

XXIV.  Witchcraft  in  Siam  in  Eighteen  Hundred  and  Sixty- 

Six,   COMPARED  WITH  WITCHCRAFT   IN  ENGLAND  IN  SEV- 
ENTEEN Hundred  and  Sixteen 184 

XXV.    Trial  for  Witchcraft 188 

XXVI.    The  Christian  Village  of  Tams£ng,  or  of  Thomas  the 

Saint 202 

XXVII.    Nang  Rungeah,  the  Cambodian  Proselyte         .       .  213 

XXVIII.    Ad  ogni  Uccello  suo  Nido  e  bello,  —  "To  every  Bird 

its  own  Nest  is  charming" 221 

XXIX.    Stray  Leaves  from  the  Royal  School-Room  Table  237 

XXX.    The  Siamese  System  of  Slavery 257 

XXXI.    The  Royal  Proclamations 264 


A  Legend  of  the  Gold  and  Sllver  Mines  of  Siam        .       .       .    271 


ROMANCE  OF  THE  HAREM. 


CHAPTER  I. 

"MUANG  THAI,"   OR  THE   KINGDOM  OF  THE  FREE. 

SIAM  is  called  by  its  people  "  Muang  Thai "  (the  king- 
dom of  the  free).  The  appellation  which  we  employ 
is  derived  from  a  Malay  word  scujdm  (the  brown  race), 
and  is  never  used  by  the  natives  themselves  ;  nor  is  the 
country  ever  so  named  in  the  ancient  or  modern  annals 
of  the  kingdom. 

In  the  opinion  of  Pickering,  the  Siamese  are  of  Malay 
origin.  A  majority  of  intelligent  Europeans,  however, 
regard  the  population  as  mainly  Mongolian.  Put  thero 
is  much  more  probability  that  they  belong  to  that  power- 
ful Indo-European  race  to  which  Europe  owes  its  civiliza- 
tion, and  whose  chief  branches  are  the  Hindoos,  Persians, 
Greeks,  Latins,  Kelts,  and  the  Teutonic  and  Sclavonic 
tribes.  The  original  site  of  this  race  was  in  Bactria,  and 
the  earliest  division  of  the  people  could  not  have  been 
later  than  three  or  four  thousand  years  before  the  Chris- 
tian era.  Comparative  philology  alone  enables  us  to  traco 
the  origin  of  nations  of  great  antiquity.  According  to 
the  researches  of  the  late  king,  who  was  a  very  studious 
and  learned  man,  of  twelve  thousand  eight  hundred  Siamese 
words,  more  than  five  thousand  are  found  to  be  Sanskrit, 
or  to  have  their  roots  in  that  language,  and  the  rest  in  tho 
Indo-European  tongues  ;  to  which  have  been  superadded  a 


2  HOMANCE  OF  THE  HAREM. 

great  number  of  Chinese  and  Cambodian  terms.  He  says  : 
"  The  names  of  temples,  cities,  and  villages  in  the  king- 
dom of  Siam  are  derived  from  three  sources,  namely,  San- 
skrit, Siamese,  and  Cambodian.  The  names  which  the 
common  people  generally  use  are  spoken  according  to  the 
idiom  of  the  Siamese  language,  are  short  and  easily  pro- 
nounced ;  but  the  names  used  in  the  Court  language  and 
in  the  government  documents,  which  receive  the  govern- 
ment seals,  are  almost  all  of  Sanskrit  derivation,  apt  to  be 
long ;  and  even  though  the  Sanskrit  names  are  given  at 
full  length,  the  people  are  prone  to  speak  them  incor- 
rectly. Some  of  our  cities  and  temples  have  two  and  even 
three  names,  being  the  ancient  and  modern  names,  as  they 
have  been  used  in  the  Court  language  or  that  of  the  people." 

As  the  words  common  to  the  Siamese  and  the  Sanskrit 
languages  must  have  been  in  use  by  both  peoples  before 
their  final  separation,  we  have  here  a  clew  to  the  origin 
■and  degree  of  civilization  attained  by  the  former  before ^  ^ 
they  emigrated  from  the  parent  stock.  Q.  C 

Besides  the  true  Siamese,  a  great  variety  of  races  in- 
habit the  Siamese  territories.  The  Siamese  themselves 
trace  their  genealogy  up  to  the  first  disciples  of  the  Bud- 
dha, and  commence  their  records  at  least  five  centuries 
before  the  Christian  era.  First,  a  long  succession  of  dynas- 
ties, with  varying  seats  of  government,  figure  in  their 
ancient  books,  in  which  narrations  of  the  miracles  of  the 
Buddhas,  and  of  the  intervention  of  supernatural  beings,  are 
frequently  introduced.  Then  come  accounts  of  matrimo- 
nial alliances  between  the  princes  of  Siam  and  the  Impe- 
rial family  of  China;  of  embassies  to,  and  wars  with,  the 
neighboring  countries,  interspersed  with  such  relations  of 
prodigies  and  such  marvellous  legends  as  to  surpass  all 
possible  conception  of  our  less  fertile  Western  imaginations. 
It  is  only  after  the  establishment  of  Ayudia  as  the  capital 
of  Siam,  A.  D.  looO,  that   history  assumes  its  rightful 


"  MUAXG  THAI,"   OR  THE   KINGDOM   OF  THE   FUEE.         3 

functions,  and  the  course  of  events,  with  the  regular  suc- 
cession of  sovereigns,  is  registered  with  tolerable  accuracy. 

The  name  of  Siani  was  first  heard  in  Europe  —  that  is, 
in  Portugal  —  in  the  year  1511,  nine  years  after  Alfonso 
d'Albuquerque,  the  great  Viceroy  of  the  Indies,  had 
landed  on  the  coast  of  Malabar  with  his  soldiers,  and 
conquered  Goa,  which  he  made  the  seat  of  the  Portugo- 
Indian  government,  and  the  centre  of  its  Asiatic  opera- 
te nis.  After  establishing  his  power  in  Goa,  D'Albuquerque 
subdued  the  whole  of  the  Malabar,  the  island  of  Ceylon, 
the  Sunda  Isles,  the  peninsula  of  Malacca,  and  the  beau- 
tiful island  of  Ormuz,  at  the  entrance  to  the  Persian  Gulf. 

It  was  here  that  D'Albuquerque  is  said  to  have  received 
the  ambassadors  of  the  Emperor  of  Persia,  sent  to  collect 
the  tribute  formerly  paid  to  him  by  the  sovereigns  of  the 
island,  and,  instead  of  the  customary  gold  and  silver,  to 
have  laid  before  them  iron  bullets  and  a  sword,  with : 
"  This  is  the  coin  in  which  Portugal  pays  those  who  de- 
mand tribute  from  her."  Whether  this  incident  really 
occurred  or  not,  it  is  certain  that  D'Albuquerque  made 
the  name  of  Portugal  so  feared  and  respected  in  the  East, 
that  many  of  the  potentates  in  that  region,  and  among 
them  the  kings  of  Siani  and  Pegu,  sent  embassies  to  him, 
and  sought  his  alliance  and  protection.  The  profitable  rela- 
tions anticipated  from  this  opening  were  interrupted,  how- 
ever, by  the  long  and  bitter  war  which  shortly  broke  i  ut 
between  Siam  and  Birmah,  and  the  intercourse  between  the 
Siamese  and  Portuguese  was  not  renewed  for  a  long  time. 
As  early  as  the  fifteenth  century  the  celebrated  German 
traveller,  Mandelslohe,  visited  Ayudia,  the  capital  of  Siam, 
and  called  it  the  Venice  of  the  East,  —  a  title  equally  appli- 
cable to  the  modern  capital,  Bangkok.  The  Portuguese 
explorer,  Mendez  Pinto,  who  was  in  Siam  in  the  sixteenth 
century,  gives  a  very  favorable  account  of  the  country, 
and,  in  my  opinion,  deserves  more  credit  for  the  truth  of 


4  ROMANCE  OF  THE   HAREM. 

his  statements  than  was  accorded  to  him  by  his  contem- 
poraries. In  1G32  an  English  vessel  is  said  to  have 
reached  Ayudia,  and  to  have  found  it  in  ruins,  the  coun- 
try having  been  laid  waste  by  successive  incursions  of  the 
Birmese. 

The  great  river  Meinam  is  the  Nile  of  Siam.  Rising 
among  the  southern  slopes  of  the  snow-covered  moun- 
tains of  Yunan,  it  traverses  the  whole  length  of  the  val- 
ley, receiving  in  its  course  the  waters  of  many  other 
streams,  the  most  important  being  the  Meikhong,  which 
in  its  length  of  nearly  one  thousand  miles  drains  the 
eastern  provinces  of  Laos  and  Cambodia.  Ancient  an- 
nals relate  that  in  the  fifteenth  and  as  late  as  the  seven- 
teenth century,  Chinese  junks  ascended  the  river  as  far 
as  Sangkalok,  nearly  one  hundred  and  twenty  leagues 
from  its  mouth ;  now,  owing  to  the  increasing  alluvial 
deposit,  it  is  not  navigable  more  than  fifteen  leagues  at 
most. 

In  the  month  of  June,  the  mountain  snows  begin  to 
melt,  the  deluging  rains  of  the  wet  season  set  in,  the  strong 
southerly  winds  dam  up  the  waters  of  the  Meinam,  and  it 
begins  to  rise,  —  an  event  most  eagerly  looked  for  by  the 
people,  and  hailed  by  them  as  a  blessing  from  Heaven. 
In  August  the  inundation  is  at  its  height,  and  the  whole 
vast  valley  is  like  one  immense  sea,  in  which  towns  and 
villages  look  like  islands,  connected  by  drawbridges,  and 
interspersed  with  groves  and  orchards,  the  tops  of  which 
only  are  seen,  while  boats  pass  to  and  fro  without  injury 
to  the  rice  and  other  crops  starting  beneath  them.  The 
whole  valley  is  intersected  by  canals,  some  of  great  size 
and  extent,  in  order  to  distribute  as  far  as  possible  the 
benefits  of  this  grand  operation  of  nature ;  but  the  lands 
situated  about  the  middle  of  the  great  plain  derive  the 
greatest  advantage  therefrom. 

When  the  inundation  is  supposed  to  have  reached  its 


"MUANG   THAI,     Oil  THE  KINGDOM   OF  THE   IRKE.         5 

height,  a  deputation  of  Talapoins,  or  priests,  sent  by  the 
king,  descend  the  river  in  magnificent  state  barges,  and 

with  chants  and  incantations  and  movements  of  magical 
wands  command  the  waters  to  retire.  Sometimes,  how- 
ever, the  calculations  prove  to  have  been  incorrect,  the 
river  continues  to  rise,  and  it  is  they  who  are  compelled 
to  retire,  filled  with  chagrin  and  disappointment. 

The  popular  river  festival,  which  takes  place  after  the 
waters  begin  to  subside,  both  in  origin  and  character  be- 
longs to  the  Hindoos,  rather  than  to  the  Buddhists.  It  is 
an  annual  festival  held  at  night,  and  the  scene  which  is 
exhibited  during  its  celebration  is  exceedingly  beautiful. 
The  banks  of  the  Meinam  are  brilliantly  lighted  up; 
accompanied  and  announced  by  numerous  flights  of  rock- 
ets, a  number  of  floating  palaces,  built  on  rafts,  come  sail- 
ing down  the  stream,  preceded  by  thousands  of  lamps 
and  lanterns  wreathed  with  chaplets  of  flowers,  which 
cover  with  their  gay  brilliancy  the  entire  surface  of  the 
flashing  water.  The  rafts,  which  are  formed  of  young 
plantain-trees  fastened  together,  are  often  of  considerable 
extent,  and  the  structures  which  they  bear  are  such  as 
Titania  herself  might  delight  to  inhabit.  Towers,  gates, 
arches,  and  pagodas  rise  in  fantastic  array,  bright  with  a 
thousand  colors,  and  shining  in  the  light  of  numberless 
cressets,  —  so  the  fairy-like  spectacle  moves  on,  while  ad- 
miring crowds  of  men,  women,  and  children  throng  the 
banks  of  the  river,  not  only  to  join  the  brilliant  pageant, 
but  to  watch  their  own  frail  little  bark,  freighted,  per- 
chance, with  a  single  lamp,  yet  full  of  life's  brightest 
hopes,  as  it  floats  unextinguished  down  the  rapid  stream, 
glimmering  on  with  ruddy  flame  amidst  the  shadows  of 
night 

The  products  of  Siam,  as  may  be  supposed  from  its 
range  of  latitude,  its  tropical  heats,  its  variety  of  climate, 
and  the  fertility  of  the  valley,  annually  renewed  by  the 


6  KOMANCE   OF  THE-  HAHEM. 

inundation,  are  very  diversified,  and  almost  unlimited  in 
quantity.  Its  rice,  of  which  there  are  forty  varieties,  is 
excellent,  and  its  sugar  is  esteemed  the  best  in  the  world. 
Among  the  other  exports  are  cotton,  tobacco,  hemp,  cutch, 
dried  iisli  and  fruits,  cocoanut-oil,  beeswax,  precious 
gums,  spices,  dye  and  other  woods,  especially  teak,  ivory, 
and  many  articles  too  numerous  to  mention.  The  min- 
eral riches  of  the  country  are  still  almost  entirely  in  an 
undeveloped  state. 

The  search  for  sparkling  gems  has  in  all  ages  been  ea- 
gerly engaged  in ;  diamonds  and  other  precious  stones  are 
frequently  offered  for  sale,  but  the  precise  locality  in 
which  they  are  found  is  kept  secret  by  the  natives.  The 
thousand-fold  more  valuable  seams  of  coal  and  iron  have 
remained  unsought  and  most  imperfectly  worked  as  yet. 
A  beginning  has  at  last  been  made  by  the  present  king, 
and  the  last  and  best,  though  poetically  maligned,  age  of 
iron  is  about  to  spread  its  blessings  over  the  Siamese 
Empire. 

The  population  of  Siam  cannot  be  ascertained  with 
correctness,  owing  to  the  custom  of  enumerating  only  the 
men.  When  I  was  in  Bangkok,  the  native  registers  gave 
the  number  of  them  as  four  million  Siamese,  one  million 
Laotians,  one  million  Malays  and  Indians,  one  million  five 
hundred  thousand  Chinese,  three  hundred  and  fifty  thou- 
sand Cambodians,  fifty  thousand  Peguans,  and  the  same 
number  of  mountain  tribes ;  in  all,  nearly  eight  millions. 
If  these  figures  are  even  approximately  correct,  and  the 
women  and  children  bear  the  same  proportion  to  the  men 
as  in  other  countries,  the  total  population  of  Siam  far  ex- 
ceeds the  numbers  which  have  hitherto  been  assigned 
to  it. 

No  people  in  the  world  exhibit  so  many  exceptional 
developments  of  human  nature  as  the  different  races  occu- 
pying the  eastern  peninsula  of  India.     The  most  impres- 


"MXJANG  THAI,"   OR  THE   KINGDOM   OF  THE   FREE.        7 

sible  of  races,  ideas  and  views  of  life  take  root  among  them 
such  as  would  find  no  acceptance  elsewhere.  Supple  and 
pliant  in  their  bodily  frames,  they  are  equally  so  in  their 
mental  and  moral  constitution ;  and  upon  no  other  race 
has  the  force  of  circumstance  and  the  contagion  of  ex- 
ample so  potent  an  influence  in  determining  them  towards 
good  or  evil.  Royalty,  therefore,  to  them,  is  not  a  mere 
name.  It  has  taken  such  hold  on  their  affections  that  it 
usurps  the  place  of  a  religious  sentiment.  The  person  of  tho 
king  is  sacred.  He  is  not  only  enthroned,  he  is  enshrined. 
His  rule  may  be  called  despotic,  but  it  is  tempered  by 
law  and  by  not  less  revered  custom.  He  may  name  his 
successor  by  Will,  but  the  Royal  or  Secret  Council  will 
determine  whether  that  Will  shall  be  carried  into  effect 
A  second  king,  selected,  like  the  first  or  supreme  king, 
from  the  royal  family,  is  also  appointed  by  the  Secret 
Council.  Whatever  may  have  originally  been  the  func- 
tions of  this  second  king,  his  exercise  of  them  appears, 
from  incidents  of  the  late  reign,  to  be  dependent  upon  tho 
disposition  of  the  supreme  king,  and  his  desire  or  disin- 
clination to  concentrate  in  his  own  person  all  the  powers 
of  the  throne. 

The  whole  empire  is  divided  into  forty-nine  provinces, 
with  their  respective  Phayas,  or  governors;  and  these  again 
are  subdivided  into  districts  under  inferior  officers,  respect- 
ing whose  administration  but  little  that  is  good  can  bo 
said. 

Every  subject,  even  the  most  humble,  has  by  law  tho 
right  to  complain  to  the  king  in  person  against  any  ollicial, 
however  exalted  ;  and  the  king  sits  in  public  at  the  eastern 
gate  of  the  palace  to  receive  the  petitions  of  his  people. 

Two  or  three  centuries  after  Brahminism  and  caste  had 
been  authoritatively  established  in  the  Hindoo  code,  there 
arose  a  new  religion  which  totally  ignored  the  old  one, 
and  almost  immediately  supplanted  it  as  the  state  religion 


8  ROMANCE  OF  THE  HAREM. 

of  India.  This  was  Buddhism,  founded  by  Gotama,  other- 
wise called  Sakya  Muni,  a  Kshatrya  Prince  of  Oude.  A 
high-priest  of  the  Abstract,  and  believing  that  the  only 
possible  revelation  from  the  Supreme  is  that  which  comes 
from  within,  Gotama  educed  a  new  faith  from  the 
luminous  depths  of  his  own  soul.  His  object  was  not 
only  a  religious  but  a  social  revolution.  A  good  deal  of 
what  was  venerated  as  religion  he  found  to  be  merely 
social  usage,  for  which  a  Divine  sanction  was  feigned. 
Gotama,  without  hesitation,  rejected  all  this,  by  denying 
the  inspiration  of  the  Vedas,  the  existence  of  the  popular 
gods,  and  the  spiritual  supremacy  of  the  Brahmins.  His 
greatest  blow  to  the  old  religion,  however,  was  in  his  ex- 
plicit repudiation  of  caste.  He  offered  his  religion  to  all 
inen  alike,  Brahmin  and  Sudra,  high  and  low,  bond  and 
free ;  whereas,  for  a  Sudra  even  to  look  on  the  Vedas,  or 
to  be  taught  their  contents,  was  strictly  forbidden  by  the 
Brahminical  system.  Buddha  boldly  expounded  to  the 
people  that,  according  to  their  own  books,  all  men  were 
equal ;  that  Brahma  himself,  when  asked  to  whom  all  the 
prayers  of  the  different  nations  and- races  of  the  earth  were 
addressed,  replied :  "  I  bear  the  burden  of  all  those  who 
labor  in  prayer.  I,  even  I,  am  he  who  prayeth  for  them 
through  their  own  lips  ;  and  they,  even  they,  who  involun- 
tarily worship  other  gods  believingly,  worship  even  me."  * 

He  also  did  away  with  the  endless  formalism  of  the  old 
faith,  and  enjoined  only  a  simple  observance  of  the  funda- 
mental points  of  morality ;  and  it  was  only  after  he  had 
aided  in  removing  the  social  and  spiritual  shackles  that 
oppressed  the  people,  that  he  directed  their  attention  to 
the  simple  and  weightier  matters  of  religion. 

Hence  the  popularity  it  attained,  spreading  among  the 
low  caste  as  well  as  among  the  rich  and  great,  until  it  has 
become  the  dominant  faith  from  the  Himalayas  to  Ceylon, 

*  See  the  Siamese  work,  "  Phra  tin  Sang." 


"MUANG   THAI,"' OH  THE  KINGDOM   OF  THE    FREE        0 

and  thence  to  Siam,  China,  Japan,  and  the  neighboring 
isles. 

Buddhism,  therefore,  the  religion  of  the  Eastern  world; 
as  Christianity  is  that  of  the  Western,  is  the  stale  religion 
of  Siam  and  that  of  most  of  its  inhabitants,  but  all  re- 
ligions are  tolerated  and  absolutely  free  from  interim  n  •«•. 
All  the  pagan  sects  who  inhabit  this  part  of  India  agree 
excellently,  and  each  frequently  takes  part  in  the  festivals 
of  the  other ;  and  I  also  observed  that  not  a  few  Buddhists, 
his  late  Majesty  included,  wear  on  their  foreheads  the 
sectarial  mark  of  Vishnu  and  Siva  united. 

The  doctrine  of  Buddha  inculcates  a  belief  in  one  God, 
Adi  Buddha.*  This  I  infer,  not  only  from  the  universally 
avowed  conviction  of  the  Buddhists  with  whom  I  have 
conversed,  but  from  Buddha's  own  words,  where  he  says : 
"  Without  ceasing  shall  I  run  through  a  course  of  many 
births,  looking  for  the  malcr  of  this  tabernacle,^  who 
is  not  represented  by  any  outward  symbol,  but  in  a  series 
of  Buddhas,  avIio  have  been  sent  with  divine  powers  to 
teach  the  human  race  and  lead  it  to  salvation."  These  are 
represented  by  images,  often  of  colossal  size  and  great 
beauty,  and  to  them  the  prayers  of  worshippers  are  ad- 
dressed. It  inculcates,  also,  a  belief  in  the  law  of  retri- 
bution or  compensation,  and  of  many  births  or  stages  of 
probations,  through  which  the  human  soul  may  iinally 
attain  beatitude.  Buddhism  has  its  priests  and  nuns, 
separated  from  the  world,  and  vowed  to  poverty,  celibacy, 
and  the  study  of  the  Divine  law.  Unlike  the  silent  and 
long-forsaken  temples  of  Egypt,  Greece,  and  Italy,  the 
architectural  grandeur  of  the  Buddhist  pagodas  and  tem- 
ples is  enhanced  by  the  presence  of  thousands  of  en- 
thusiastic worshippers.     The  sound  of  a  bell,  or  gong,  or 

*  Supreme  Intelligence. 

t  See  Siamese  work,  "  Pbra  thi  Sang,"  and  Lecture  on  Buddhist  Nihil- 
ism, by  F.  Max  Mttller. 
1* 


10  ROMANCE  OF  THE  HABEM. 

of  the  sacred  shell,  indicates  the  hours  of  the  priests' 
attendance  at  the  temples.  At  such  times  the  priests  are 
to  be  seen  officiating  at  the  shrines,  where,  amid  the  noise 
of  many  instruments  playing  in  concert,  the  smoke  of 
fragrant  incense,  and  the  perfumes  of  fresh  flowers,  they 
are  uttering  sacred  invocations  or  incantations,  and  pre- 
senting the  offerings  of  the  worshippers.  In  the  sermons 
preached  daily  in  these  immense  temples,  thronged  with 
men  and  women,  the  chief  themes  are  humanity,  endur- 
ance, patience,  submission.  Among  the  practical  precepts 
are  these :  "  Love  your  enemies.  Sacrifice  your  life  for 
truth.  Be  gentle  and  tender.  Abstain  from  war,  even  in 
self-defence.  Govern  yourselves  in  thought,  word,  and 
deed.  Avoid  everything  that  may  lead  to  vice.  Be 
obedient  to  your  parents  and  superiors.  Iieverence  old 
age.  Provide  food  and  shelter  for  the  poor,  the  aged,  and 
the  oppressed.  Despise  no  man's  religion.  Persecute  no 
man." 

But  alas  !  in  Siam,  as  in  all  the  rest  of  the  world,  the 
practice  falls  far  short  of  the  precept. 

Nevertheless,  I  have  found  among  the  Siamese,  also, 
men  and  women  who  observe  faithfully  the  precepts  of 
their  religion,  whose  lives  are  devoted  to  charity  and  good 
works  ;  and  there  were  some — not  one  alone,  but  many — 
who  during  the  years  I  lived  in  Bangkok  sacrificed  their 
lives  for  truth,  and  even  under  the  torture  and  in  death 
showed  a  self-sacrificing  devotion  and  a  courage  not  to 
be  excelled  by  the  most  saintly  of  the  Christian  martyrs. 

Polygamy  —  or,  properly  speaking,  concubinage  —  and 
slavery  are  the  curses  of  the  country.  But  one  wife  is 
allowed  by  law  ;  the  king  only  may  have  two,  a  right  and 
a  left  hand  wife,  as  these  dual  queens  are  called,  whose 
offspring  alone  are  legitimate.  The  number  of  concubines 
is  limited  only  by  the  means  of  the  man.  As  the  king 
is  the  source   of   all   wealth   and   influence,  dependent 


"MUAXG  THAI,"   OK  THE   KINGDOM   OF  TUB   FREE.      11 

kin^S,  princes,  and  nobles,  and  all  who  would  seek  tlio 
royal  favor,  vie  with  each  other  in  bringing  their  most 

beautiful  and  accomplished  daughters  to  the  royal  harem. 
Here  it  is  that  the  courage,  intrepidity,  and  heroism  of 
these  poor,  doomed  women  are  gradually  developed.  I 
have  known  more  than  one  among  them  who  accepted 
her  fate  with  a  repose  of  manner  and  a  sweet  resignation 
that  told  how  dead  must  be  the  heart  under  that  still 
exterior;  and  it  is  here,  too,  that  I  have  witnessed  a  forti- 
tude under  suffering  of  which  history  furnishes  no  parallel. 
And  1  have  wondered  at  the  sight.  Though  the  common 
people  have  but  one  wife,  the  i'atal  facility  of  divorce, 
effected  by  the  husband's  simply  taking  the  priestly  vows, 
which  can  be  revoked  at  will,  is  often  the  cause  of  great 
suffering  to  the  women.  The  husband  and  father  have 
unlimited  power,  even  of  life  and  death,  over  the  wife  and 
children,  but  murders  are  extremely  rare.  Woman  is  the 
slave  of  man  ;  but  when  she  becomes  a  mother  her  posi- 
tion is  changed,  and  she  commands  respect  and  reverence. 
As  a  mother  with  grown  children  she  has  often  more 
influence  than  her  husband.  Hence  maternity  is  the 
supreme  good  of  the  woman  of  Siam ;  to  be  childless,  the 
greatest  of  all  misfortunes. 

As  was  ancient  Ayudia,  so  is  Bangkok,  the  present 
capital  of  Siam,  the  Venice  of  the  East.  Imagine  a  city 
with  a  large  network  of  water-roads  in  the  place  of 
streets,  and  intersected  with  bridges  so  light  and  fanciful 
that  one  might  almost  fancy  them  to  have  been  blown 
together  by  the  breath  of  fairies.  A  large  proportion  of 
its'  inhabitants  live  in  floating  houses,  which  line  both 
banks  of  the  Mcinam,  and,  tier  upon  tier,  extend  for  miles 
above  and  below  the  walls.  The  city  itself  is  surrounded 
by  a  battlemented  and  turreted  wall,  fifteen  feet  high  and 
twelve  feet  broad,  which  was  erected  in  the  early  part  of 
the  reign  of  Phaya  Tak,  about  1670.     The  grand  palaces 


12  ROMANCE   OF  THE  HAKEM. 

and  royal  harem  are  situated  on  the  right  hand  as  you 
ascend  the  river,  on  a  circular  plot  of  ground  formed  by 
a  sudden  bend  of  the  river,  enclosing  it  on  the  west; 
while  the  eastern  side  is  bounded  by  a  large,  deep  canal. 
This  plot  of  ground  is  encompassed  by  two  walls  running 
parallel  to  each  other.  Within  the  outer  of  these  walls 
are  the  magazines,  the  royal  exchange,  the  mint,  the  su- 
preme courts  of  justice,  the  prisons,  temples,  and  fantastic 
pleasure-grounds,  dotted  with  a  multitude  of  elegant 
edifices,  theatres,  and  aviaries,  some  of  which  are  richly 
gilt  and  ornamented.  In  the  centre  of  a  very  handsome 
square  rise  the  majestic  buildings  of  the  Maha  Phra  Saat, 
the  roof  of  which  is  covered  with  tiles,  beautifully  var- 
nished, and  surmounted  by  gilded  spires,  while  the  walls 
are  studded  with  sculptures,  and  the  terraces  decorated 
with  large  incense  vases  of  bronze,  the  dark  color  and 
graceful  forms  of  which  stand  in  beautiful  relief  against 
the  white  marble  background  of  the  palace. 

Not  far  from  this  is  another  semicircular  space  sur- 
rounded by  a  high  wall,  which  defends  all  entrance  to  the 
part  enclosed  by  the  inner  of  the  two  parallel  walls  before 
mentioned ;  and  here  stands  the  city  of  the  Nang  Harm, 
or  Veiled  Women.  In  this  city  live  none  but  women  and 
children.  Here  the  houses  of  the  royal  princesses,  the 
wives,  concubines,  and  relatives  of  the  king,  with  their 
numerous  slaves  and  personal  attendants,  form  regular 
streets  and  avenues,  with  small  parks,  artificial  lakes,  and 
groups  of  fine  trees  scattered  over  miniature  lawns  and 
beautiful  flower-gardens.  These  are  the  residences  of  the 
princesses  of  Siain.  On  the  east,  high  above  the  trees, 
may  be  seen  the  many-towered  and  gilded  roofs  of  the 
grand  royal  palace,  brilliant  as  sapphire  in  the  sunlight, 
and  next  to  this  is  the  old  palace,  to  both  of  which  is  a 
private  covered  entrance  for  the  women ;  at  the  end  of 
each  of  these  passages  is  a  bas-relief  representing  the  head 


"MUANG  THAI,"  OR  THE   KINGDOM   01'  THE   FREE,      lo 

of  an  enormous  sphinx,  with  a  sword  through  the  month, 

and  this  inscription:  "Letter  that  a  sword  be  thrust 
through  thy  mouth  than  that  thou  utter  a  word  against 
him  who  ruleth  on  high."  Not  far  from  this  are  the 
barracks  of  the  Amazons,  the  women's  hall  of  justice,  and 
the  dungeons  (where,  as  in  the  days  of  old,  female  judges 
daily  administer  justice  to  the  inhabitants  of  this  woman's 
city),  the  beautiful  temple,  with  its  long,  dim  gallery  and 
antique  style  of  architecture,  in  which  I  taught  the  royal 
children,  the  gymnasium,  and  the  theatre,  where  the  prin- 
cesses and  great  ladies  assemble  every  afternoon  to  gossip, 
play  games,  or  watch  the  exercises  of  the  dancing-girls. 

In  the  southern  part  of  this  strange  city,  which  is  the 
most  populous,  the  mechanical  slaves  of  the  wives,  con- 
cubines, and  princesses  live,  and  ply  their  trades  for  the 
profit  of  their  mistresses.  This  woman's  city  is  as  self- 
supporting  as  any  other  in  the  world  :  it  has  its  own  laws, 
its  judges,  police,  guards,  prisons,  and  executioners,  its 
markets,  merchants,  brokers,  teachers,  and  mechanics  of 
every  kind  and  degree ;  and  every  function  of  every  na- 
ture is  exercised  by  women,  and  by  them  only.  Into  this 
inmost  city  no  man  is  permitted  to  enter,  except  only  the 
king,  and  the  priests,  who  are  admitted  every  morning 
under  guard,  in  order  that  the  inmates  may  perform  the 
sacred  duty  of  giving  alms.  The  slave  women  arc 
allowed  to  go  out  to  visit  their  husbands,  or  on  business 
of  their  mistresses;  but  the  mistresses  themselves  never 
leave  it  except  by  the  covered  passages  to  the  palaces; 
temples,  and  gardens,  until  they  have  by  age  and  position 
attained  to  a  certain  degree  of  freedom.  The  permanent 
population  of  this  city  is  estimated  at  nine  thousand.  Of 
the  life  passed  therein,  volumes  would  not  give  an  exact 
description;  but  what  I  am  about  to  relate  in  the  pages 
that  follow  will  give  the  general  reader,  perhaps,  some  idea 
of  many  of  the  stirring  incidents  of  that  life. 


14  ROMANCE  OF  THE  HAREM. 


CHAPTER    II. 

TUPTIM:   A  TRAGEDY  OF  THE   HAREM. 

THOSE  of  my  readers  who  may  recur  to  my  late  work, 
"  The  English  Governess  at  the  Siamese  Court,"  will 
find  on  the  265th  page  mention  of  "a  young  girl  of  fresh 
and  striking  beauty,  and  delightful  piquancy  of  ways  and 
expression,  who,  with  a  clumsy  club,  was  pounding  frag- 
ments of  pottery  —  urns,  vases,  and  goblets  —  for  the 
foundation  of  the  Watt  (or  Temple)  Rajah  Bah  ditt  Sang. 
Very  artless  and  happy  she  seemed,  and  as  free  as  she 
was  lovely ;  but  the  instant  she  perceived  that  she  had 
attracted  the  notice  of  the  king,  —  who  presided  at  the 
laying  of  the  foundation  of  the  temple,  and  Hung  gold 
and  silver  coins  among  the  workwomen,  —  she  sank  down 
and  hid  her  face  in  the  earth,  forgetting  or  disregarding 
the  falling  vessels  that  threatened  to  crush  her ;  but  the 
king  merely  diverted  himself  with  inquiring  her  name 
and  parentage,  and  some  one  answering  for  her,  he  turned 
away."     This  is  all  that  is  there  said  of  her. 

A  week  later  I  saw  the  girl  again,  as  I  was  passing 
through  the  long  enclosed  corridor  within  the  palace  on 
my  way  to  my  school-room  in  the  temple.  She  was  lying 
prostrate  on  the  marble  pavement  among  the  offerings 
which  were  placed  there  for  the  king's  acceptance,  and 
which  lie  would  inspect  in  his  leisurely  progress  towards 
his  breakfast-hall. 

I  never  went  that  way  without  seeing  something  lying 
there,  —  bales  of  silk  on  silver  trays,  boxes  of  tea,  calicoes, 
velvets,  fans,  priests'  robes,  precious  spices,  silver,  gold, 
and   curiosities   of  all   kinds,  in   fact,   almost  anything 


TITTIM:  A  TRAGEDY   OF  THE   IIAKICM.  15 

and  everything  that  money  could  purchase,  or  the  i 
abject  sycophancy  could  imagine  as  likely  to  gratify  the 
desp  »t.  Every  noble,  prince,  ;i:i  I  merchant  sought  to  ob- 
tain the  royal  favor  by  gifts  thus  presented,  it  being  fully 
understood  between  the  giver  and  receiver  that  whoever 
gave  the  most  costly  presents  should  receive  the  largest 
share  of  royal  patronage  and  support  But  the  most  pre- 
cious tilings  ever  laid  upon  that  pavement  were  the  young 
hearts  of  women  and  children. 

Two  women  were  crouching  on  either  side  of  the  young 
girl,  waiting  for  the  entrance  of  the  king,  in  order  to  pre- 
sent her  to  him.  I  was  hardly  surprised  to  see  her  there. 
I  had  grown  accustomed  to  such  sights.  But  1  was  sur- 
prised at  the  unusual  interest  she  appeared  to  excite  in 
the  other  women  present,  who  were  all  whispering  and 
talking  together  about  her,  and  expressing  their  admira- 
tion of  her  beauty  in  the  most  extravagant  language. 

She  was  certainly  very  beautiful  by  nature,  and  those 
who  sent  her  there  had  exhausted  all  the  resources  of  art 
to  complete,  according  to  their  notions,  what  nature  had 
begun,  and  to  render  her  a  fitter  offering  for  the  king. 
Her  lips  were  dyed  a  deep  crimson  by  the  use  of  betel; 
her  dark  eyebrows  were  continued  in  indigo  until  they 
met  on  her  brow  ;  her  eyelashes  were  stained  with  kohl; 
the  tips  of  her  fingers  and  her  nails  were  made  pink  with 
henna;  while  enormous  gold  chains  and  rings  bedizened 
her  person.  Already  too  much  saddened  by  the.  frequency 
of  such  sights,  I  merely  cast  a  passing  glance  upon  her 
and  went  my  way;  but  now,  as  I  see  in  memory  that  tiny 
figure  lying  there,  and  the  almost  glorified  form  in  which  I 
beheld  it  {"or  the  last  time,  I  cannot  keep  the  tears  from 
my  eyes,  n  >r  still  the  aching  of  my  heart. 

About  three  months  or  so  later  we  met  again  in  the 
same  place  I  was  passing  through  to  the  school-room, 
when  I  saw  her  joyously  exhibiting  to  her  companions  a 


1G  ROMANCE   OF  THE   HATCEM. 

pomegranate  which  she  held  in  her  hand.  It  seemed  to 
he  the  largest  and  iinest  fruit  of  the  kind  I  had  ever  seen, 
and  I  stopped  to  get  a  closer  view  hoth  of  the  girl  and  of  the 
fruit,  cacli  perfect  in  its  hind.  I  found,  however,  that  the 
fruit  was  not  real,  only  an  imitation.  It  was  a  casket  of 
pure  gold,  the  lids  of  which  were  inlaid  with  rubies,  which 
looked  exactly  like  the  seeds  of  the  pomegranate  when 
ripe.  It  was  made  to  open  and  shut  at  the  touch  of  a 
small  spring,  and  was  most  exquisitely  moulded  into  the 
shape  and  enamelled  with  the  tints  of  the  pomegranate. 
It  was  her  betel-box. 

"  Where  did  you  get  this  box  ? "  I  inquired. 

She  turned  to  me  with  a  child's  smile  upon  her  face, 
pointed  to  the  lofty  chamber  of  the  king,  and  said,  "  My 
name,  you  know,  is  Tuptim"  (Pomegranate).  I  under- 
stood the  gilt. 

Afterwards  I  saw  her  frequently.  On  one  occasion 
she  was  crying  bitterly,  while  the  head  wife,  Thieng,  was 
reproving  her  with  unusual  warmth  for  some  fault.  I 
interrupted  Thieng  to  ask  for  some  paper  and  ink  for  the 
school-room,  but  she  paid  no  attention  to  my  demands. 
Instead  of  complying  with  them  at  once,  as  usual,  she 
inquired  of  me,  "What  shall  I  do  with  this  Tuptim? 
She  is  very  disobedient.  Shall  I  whip  her,  or  starve  her 
till  she  minds  ? " 

"Forgive  her,  and  be  good  to  her,"  I  whispered  in 
Thieng's  ear. 

"  What ! "  said  the  offended  lady  in  an  angry  tone, 
"  when  she  does  wrong  all  the  time,  and  is  so  naughty 
and  wilful  ?  Why,  when  she  is  ordered  to  remain  up 
stairs,  she  runs  away,  and  hides  herself  in  Maprang's  or 
Simlah's  rooms,  and  we  are  taken  to  task  by  his  Majesty, 
who  accuses  us  of  jealousy  and  unkind  treatment  towards 
her.  Then  we  have  to  search  all  the  houses  of  the  Clionis 
(concubines)  until  we  find  her,  either  in  hiding  or  asleep, 


TUPTIM  :  A  TRAGEDY  OF  THE  HAREM.        17 

and  bring  her  to  him.  The  moment  she  comes  into  his 
presence  she  goes  down  upon  her  knees,  appearing  bo  very 
bashful  and  innocent  that  he  is  enraptured  at  the  Bight, 
and  declares  that  she  is  the  most  perfect,  the  most  fasci- 
nating of  women.  But  as  soon  as  she  can  get  away,  she 
does  the  same  thing  again,  only  finding  some  new  hiding- 
place,  and  so  she  makes  an  infinity  of  trouble.  Now,  she 
says  she  is  ill,  and  cannot  wait  upon  the  king,  while  the 
physicians  declare  that  there  is  nothing  whatever  the 
matter  with  her.  I  really  don't  know  what  to  do  or  what 
to  say,  for  I  don't  dare  to  tell  the  truth  to  the  king,  and 
I  'm  in  constant  fear  that  she  will  come  to  a  bad  end,  if 
she  doesn't  follow  my  advice  and  make  up  her  mind  to 
bear  her  life  here  more  patiently." 

I  pitied  the  poor  girl,  who  really  looked  either  sick  or 
unhappy.  Child  as  she  was,  there  was  a  great  deal  of 
quiet  dignity  about  her,  as,  with  eyes  filled  with  tears,  she 
protested  that  she  was  utterly  sick  at  heart,  and  could  not  go 
up  stairs  any  more.  I  was  sure  that  Thieng's  sweeping 
reproof  did  not  indicate  any  malice  or  real  anger  towards 
the  girl,  and,  putting  my  arms  around  the  elder  lady,  I 
succeeded  in  soothing  her  indignation,  and  at  length  ob- 
tained permission  for  Tuptim  to  be  absent  from  duty  for 
a  few  days.  A  grateful  smile  lit  up  the  girl's  tearful  face 
as  she  crept  away. 

"That  girl  is  too  artless,"  said  kind-hearted  Thieng  to 
me,  as  soon  as  the  child  wTas  out  of  sight;  "and  she  will 
not  even  try  to  like  her  life  here.  I  pity  her  from  my 
very  heart,  mam  dear,  but  it  would  not  do  to  show  it 
She  would  take  advantage;  of  my  kindness,  and  keep  away 
from  the  king  altogether,  as  Marchand  does ;  and  in  all 
such  cases  we  head  wives  have  to  bear  the  brunt  of  the 
king's  displeasure,  and  are  thought  to  be  jealous  and  in- 
triguing, when  the  holy  Buddh  in  heaven  knows  that 
there  is  only  kindness  in  our  hearts*" 


18  ROMANCE  OF  THE  HAREM. 

Not  long  after  the  above  conversation,  Tuptim  began  to 
come  to  school.  She  wanted  to  learn  to  write  her  name 
in  English,  she  said,  and  she  came  to  me  once  or  twice  a 
week  until  she  had  acquired  that  accomplishment,  which 
seemed  to  give  her  immense  satisfaction.  After  she  had 
done  this,  she  asked  me  if  I  would  write  the  name 
"  Khoon  P'hra  Balat "  for  her  in  English.  I  wrote  it  for 
her  at  once,  without  asking  her  why  she  wanted  it  or 
whose  name  it  was.  I  did  not  even  know  if  it  was  the 
name  of  a  man  or  a  woman,  as  the  Siamese  have  no  mas- 
culine and  feminine  terminations  to  their  names  and  titles. 
She  immediately  began  to  trace  the  letters  for  herself,  and 
I  could  see  a  world  of  tenderness  in  her  large  dreamy 
eyes  as  she  copied  and  recopied  the  name  in  its  English 
characters.  I  cannot  rightly  remember  how  often  or 
how  long  she  came  to  the  school,  for  she  was  but  one 
among  many ;  but,  whenever  she  found  me  engaged  with 
the  princes  and  princesses,  she  would  sit  for  hours  on  the 
marble  floor,  and  listen  to  our  simple  exercises  of  trans- 
lating English  into  Siamese  or  Siamese  into  English,  with 
increasing  interest  and  delight  expressed  in  her  pure, 
guileless  face.  I  do  remember  that  she  was  never  alone, 
but  always  accompanied  by  two  or  three  young  compan- 
ions of  about  her  own  age,  who  were  as  listless  and  idle 
as  she  was  absorbed  and  interested. 

Perhaps  this  was  the  reason  —  with  her  extreme  youth, 
for  she  was  still  but  a  child,  and  seemed  even  younger 
than  she  really  was  —  why  I  never  attempted  to  enter 
into  conversation  with  her,  or  to  learn  anything  about  her 
history  and  her  feelings.  If  I  had  done  this,  I  might  have 
succeeded  in  winning  her  confidence,  and  perhaps  have 
been  the  means  of  reconciling  her  to  her  life  in  the  pal- 
ace. That  I  did  not,  will  ever  be  a  source  of  poignant 
regret  to  me. 

One  afternoon,  as  I  was  about  leaving  the  palace  after 


TUPTIM  :  A  TRAGEDY  OF  THE  BABEM.       19 

school,  she  came  running  up  to  me,  took  a  scrap  of 
paper  from  under  her  vest,  and  held  it  silently  before 
my  eyes,  while  I  read  what  was  written  upon  it.  It  was 
the  name  "Khoon  Phra  Balat,"  carefully  writ  ten  in  Eng- 
lish characters,  and  she  seemed  delighted  with  the  praise 
I  bestowed  on  the  writing. 

"  Whose  name  is  it,  Tuptim  ? "  I  asked 

She  cast  down  her  eyes  and  hesitated  for  a  moment ; 
then,  raising  them  to  mine,  she  replied:  "It  is  the  name 
of  the  favorite  disciple  of  the  high-priest,  Chow  Khoon 
Sahj  he  lives  at  the  temple  of  Rajah  Bah  ditt  Sang,  and 
sometimes  preaches  to  us  in  the  palace." 

The  expression  of  deep  reverence  that  animated  her 
face  as  she  spoke  revealed  to  me  a  new  phase  in  her 
character,  and  I  felt  strongly  attracted  towards  her.  I 
nevertheless  left  the  palace  without  further  conversation, 
but,  on  my  way  home,  formed  a  vague  resolution  that  I 
would  endeavor  to  become  better  acquainted  with  her,  and 
attempt  to  win  her  confidence. 

My  half-formed  resolve  was  without  result,  however, 
since,  for  some  reason  unknown  to  me,  she  never  came  to 
the  school-room  again;  and,  as  I  did  not  chance  to  meel 
her  on  my  visits  to  the  palace,  she  soon  passed  from  my 
thoughts,  and  I  forgot  all  about  her. 

Some  nine  months,  or  perhaps  a  year,  after  my  last  en- 
counter with  Tuptim,  I  became  conscious  of  a  change  in 
the  demeanor  of  my  elder  pupils;  they  were  abstracted, 
and  appeared  desirous  to  get  away  from  their  studies  as 
soon  as  possible.  It  seemed  as  if  there  were  some  secret 
they  had  been  ordered  to  conceal  from  my  boy  and  ma  My 
imagination  immediately  took  the  alarm,  and  I  became 
possessed  with  the  idea  that  some  grave  calamity  was 
impending. 

One  day,  when  breaking  up  school  for  the  afternoon,  T 
heard  one  of  the  princes  say  to  the  others  in  Siamese : 
"  Come,  let 's  go  and  hunt  for  Tuptim." 


20  ROMANCE   OF  THE  HAREM. 

"  Why !  where  has  she  gone  ? " 

As  soon  as  I  asked  the  question,  Princess  Ying  Yonwa- 
lacks  angrily  seized  him  by  the  arm  and  hurried  him 
away.  I  had  no  wish  to  inquire  further.  What  I  had 
heard  was  enough  to  excite  my  imagination  afresh,  and  I 
hurried  home  full  of  anxiety  about  poor  little  Tuptim,  thus 
suddenly  brought  back  to  my  remembrance. 

On  the  following  evening,  it  being  Sunday,  one  of  my 
servants  informed  me  that  a  slave-girl  from  the  palace 
wished  to  speak  with  me  in  private.  When  she  came  in, 
her  face  seemed  familiar,  but  I  could  not  remember  where 
I  had  seen  her  or  whose  slave  she  was.  She  crawled 
up  close  to  my  chair,  and  told  me  in  a  low  voice  that 
her  mistress,  Khoon  Chow  Tuptim,  had  sent  her  to  me. 
"You  know,"  she  added,  "that  my  mistress  has  been 
found." 

"  Found  ! "  I  exclaimed ;  "  what  do  you  mean  ? " 

She  repeated  my  question,  and  in  great  astonishment 
asked :  "  Why !  did  you  not  know  that  my  mistress  had 
disappeared  from  the  palace ;  that  his  Majesty  had  offered 
a  reward  of  twenty  caties  (about  fifteen  hundred  dollars) 
to  any  one  who  would  bring  any  information  about  her ; 
and  that  no  trace  of  her  could  be  discovered,  though  every- 
body had  been  searching  for  her  far  and  near  ? " 

"  No,  I  have  never  heard  a  word  about  it.  But  how 
could  she  have  got  out  of  the  palace,  through  the  three 
rows  of  gates  that  are  always  bolted,  and  not  be  seen  by 
the  Amazons  on  guard  ? " 

"  Alas  !  my  lady,  she  did  get  out,"  replied  the  girl,  who 
looked  very  wan  and  weary,  whose  eyes  seemed  to  have 
been  shedding  tears  for  a  long  time,  and  who  was  on  the 
point  of  breaking  down  again.  She  then  went  on  to  tell  me 
that  two  priests  had  that  morning  discovered  her  mistress 
in  the  monastery  attached  to  the  temple  of  Eajah  Bah 
ditt  Sang,  and  had  brought  the  information  to  the  king,  by 


TUPTTM:    A  TRAGEDY   OF  THE    IIAKKM.  21 

whose  order  she  had  been  arrested  and  imprisoned  in  one 
of  the  palace  dungeons. 

"But  what  good  can  I  do,  Phim  ? "  I  asked,  sorrow- 
fully. 

"O  mam  dear,  if  you  don't  help  her,  she's  lost, 
she  '11  be  killed  ! "  cried  the  girl,  bursting  into  a  passion  of 
tears.  "  Oh !  do,  do  go  to  the  king,  and  ask  him  to  for- 
give her.  He  '11  grant  her  life  to  you.  I  'm  sure  lie  will. 
Oh!  oh!  what  shall  I  do!  I've  nobody  to  go  to  but 
you,  and  there's  nobody  but  you  can  help  her!"  And 
her  tears  and  sobs  were  truly  heart-rending. 

I  tried  to  soothe  her.  "  Tell  me,  Phim,"  I  said,  "  why 
did  your  mistress  leave  the  palace,  and  who  helped  her  to 
get  away  ? " 

The  girl  would  not  answer  my  question,  but  kept  re- 
peating, "  Oh  !  do  come  and  see  her  yourself !  Do  come 
and  see  her  yourself!  You  can  go  to  the  palace  after 
dark,  and  the  gate-keepers  will  let  you  in.  Nobody  need 
know  that  you  are  going  to  see  my  dear  mistress." 

As  there  was  no  other  method  of  quieting  the  poor  girl, 
I  finally  made  the  promise,  though  I  did  not  see  what 
good  my  going  could  do,  and  was  fully  convinced  that 
Phim  had  abetted  Tuptim  in  her  wrong-doing,  whatever 
that  might  have  been. 

After  the  slave-girl  had  left  me,  I  sat  by  my  window 
and  watched  the  stars  as  they  came  out,  one  by  one,  and 
shone  with  unusual  splendor  in  the  cloudless  sky.  It  was 
a  Lovely  night,  and  I  felt  the  soothing  influence  of  the 
Christian  Sabbath  even  in  that  pagan  land;  but  the  one 
idea  that  took  possession  of  my  mind  was:  "Poor  little 
Tuptim,  in  that  dreadful  dungeon  underground."  Still, 
and  notwithstanding  my  promise,  I  felt  a  strong  reluctance 
to  respond  to  the  cry  which  had  reached  me  from  her,  and 
wished  that  I  had  never  heard  it.  I  was  tired  of  the  pal- 
ace, tired  of  witnessing  wrongs  I  could  not  remedy,  and 


22  ROMANCE   OF  THE   HAREM. 

half  afraid,  too,  to  enter  that  weird,  mysterious  prison- 
world  after  nightfall.  So  I  sat  still  in  dreamy  uncertainty, 
till  a  warm  hand  was  laid  upon  mine,  and  I  turned  my 
eyes  from  the  stars  above  to  the  poor  slave-girl's  sad,  tear- 
stained  face  at  my  feet. 

"  The  gates  are  open  for  the  prime-minister,  mam  dear," 
said  she,  in  a  low,  pleading  voice,  "  and  you  can  get  in  now 
without  any  difficulty." 

I  rose  at  once,  resolutely  cast  my  cowardly  fears  be- 
hind me,  told  my  boy  where  and  why  I  was  going,  put 
twenty  ticals  in  my  purse,  wrapped  my  black  cloak  about 
me,  and  hurried  towards  the  palace  gate.  Phim  had  run 
back  at  once,  for  fear  of  being  shut  out  for  the  night.  The 
women  at  the  gates,  who  were  all  friendly  to  me,  admitted 
me  without  question,  and,  as  I  passed,  I  dropped  two 
ticals  into  the  hand  of  the  chief  of  the  Amazons  on 
guard,  saying  that  I  had  been  called  into  the  palace  on 
important  business,  and  begging  her  to  keep  the  inner 
gates  open  for  my  return. 

"You  must  be  sure  and  come  back  before  it  strikes 
eleven,"  said  she,  and  I  passed  on.  As  soon  as  I  entered 
the  main  street  within  the  walls,  the  slave-girl  joined  me, 
and  led  the  way,  crouching  and  running  along  in  the  deep 
shadow  of  the  houses,  until  we  reached  the  gate  of  the 
prison  in  which  Tuptim  was  immured,  when  she  immedi- 
ately disappeared. 

The  hall  I  entered  was  immense,  with  innumerable 
pillars,  and  a  floor  which  seemed  to  be  entirely  made  up 
of  huge  trap-doors,  double  barred  and  locked,  while  the 
lanterns  by  which  it  was  dimly  lighted  were  hung  so  high 
that  they  looked  like  distant  stars.  There  were  about  a 
dozen  Amazons  on  guard,  some  of  whom  were  already 
stretched  in  sleep  on  their  mats  and  leather  pillows,  their 
weapons  lying  within  reach.  The  eyes  of  all  the  wakeful 
custodians  of  the  prison  were  fixed  upon  me  as  I  entered. 


TUPTIM  :  A  TRAGEDY  OF  THE   ilAKKM*  23 

A  courteous  return  was  made  to  my  polite  salutation,  and 
Ma  Fine  Taphan  —  Great Motherof  War  —  addressed  me 
kindly,  inquiring  what  was  my  object  in  coming  there  at 
that  time  of  night.  I  told  her  that  I  had  just  heard  of 
Tuptim's  having  got  into  trouble  and  being  imprisoned, 
and  had  come  to  ascertain  if  I  could  be  of  any  assistance 
to  her. 

"The  child  is  in  trouble,  indeed,"  replied  Ma  Ying 
Taphan;  "and  has  not  only  got  herself  into  prison,  but 
her  two  young  friends,  Maprang  and  Simlah,  who  arc  con- 
fined with  her." 

"  Can  I  not  help  them  in  any  way  ? "  I  asked. 

"  No,"  said  the  Amazon,  gently,  "  I  fear  you  cannot. 
Her  guilt  is  too  great,  and  she  must  take  the  conse- 
quences." 

"  What  has  she  been  doing  ? " 

To  this  question  I  could  get  no  answer ;  and  after  vainly 
attempting  to  persuade  Ma  Ying  Taphan  to  tell  me,  I 
tried  to  induce  her  to  let  me  go  down  and  visit  poor  Tup- 
tim.  "Myde"  (impossible),  was  the  reply,  "without  an 
express  order  from  the  king.  When  you  bring  us  that,  we 
will  let  you  in,  but  without  it  we  cannot."  And  "  myde  " 
was  the  only  answer  I  could  get  to  my  repeated  and 
urgent  entreaties.  I  sat  there,  hopelessly  looking  at  the 
Amazons,  who,  in  the  dim  light  of  the  distant  lanterns 
overhead,  seemed  to  me  to  be  changed  from  tender-hearted 
women,  as  they  were,  into  fierce,  vindictive  executioners, 
and  at  the  huge  trap-door  at  our  feet,  beneath  which  the 
three  children,  as  the  Amazon  had  rightly  called  them, 
were  imprisoned,  but  from  which  no  sound,  no  cry,  no 
indication  of  life  escaped,  until,  tired  and  despairing,  I 
rose  and  left  the  place. 

As  soon  as  I  was  out  of  the  building  I  saw  Phim,  the 
slave-girl,  crouching  in  the  shadows  on  the  opposite  side 
of  the  street,  and  keeping  pace  with  me  as  I  went  towards 


24  *  ROMANCE   OF   THE  HAREM. 

the  palace  gate.  When  I  turned  into  another  street  she 
joined  me,  and  I  found  that  she  had  been  hidden  under 
the  portico  of  the  prison,  and  had  heard  all  my  conversa- 
tion with  the  Amazons.  Prostrating  herself  till  her  fore- 
head touched  my  feet,  she  implored  me,  in  the  name  of 
the  P'hra  Chow  in  heaven,  not  to  forsake  her  dear  mis- 
tress. "She  is  to  be  brought  before  the  court  in  the 
outside  hall  of  justice  to-morrow,"  she  said.  "  Oh !  do 
come  early.  Perhaps  you  can  persuade  Koon  Thow  App 
to  be  merciful  to  her."  And,  with  a  sickening  sense  of 
my  utter  poweiiessness,  I  promised  to  be  present  at  the 
trial. 


tuptim's  TK1AL. 


CHAPTEE    III. 

tuptim's  trial. 

ABOUT  seven  o'clock  on  the  following  morning  T  was 
in  the  Sala  or  San  Shuang,  which  is  within  the 
second  enclosure  of  the  palace,  but  outside  of  the  third 
or  inner  wall,  which  is  that  of  the  harem.  This  building 
is  of  one  story  only,  and  totally  unlike  that  occupied  for 
similar  purposes  in  the  interior  of  the  grand  palace.  The 
main  entrance  was  through  a  long,  low  corridor,  on  both 
sides  of  which  opened  apartments  of  different  dimensions, 
so  dilapidated  as  to  be  scarcely  habitable,  looking  out 
upon  the  barracks,  the  magazine,  and  the  fantastic  grounds 
of  the  palace  gardens.  On  entering  the  hall  one  was  at 
once  struck  by  the  incongruities  that  met  the  eye ;  the 
windows  were  large  and  lofty,  and  might  have  served  for 
the  casements  of  a  royal  residence,  while  the  doors  were 
very  narrow  and  mean,  and  the  floor  merely  a  collection 
of  worm-eaten  boards  roughly  nailed  down.  One  inter- 
esting and  picturesque  peculiarity  was  the  monstrous  size 
of  the  spiders,  who  must  have  had  undisturbed  possession 
of  the  walls  and  ceiling  for  at  least  a  century.  Altogether, 
it  was  very  dark,  dull,  and  dreary,  even  depressing  and  se- 
pulchral, when  not  illumined  by  the  direct  rays  of  the  sun. 
Several  of  the  men  ami  women  judges  were  already 
there,  interchanging  greetings  and  offerings  of  the  con- 
tents of  their  betel-boxes.  PTiayaprome  Baree  Iiak,  the 
chief  of  the  men,  and  Khoon  Thow  App,  chief  of  the 
women  judges,  sat  apart,  the  latter  with  her  head  bowed 
in  an  attitude  of  reflection  and  sadness.  Before  them 
were  low  tables,  on  which  lay  dark  rolls  of  laws,  Siamese 

2 


26  ROMANCE   OF   THE  HAREM. 

paper,  pens,  and  ink  Some  lower  officials  and  clerks 
crouched  around.  They  all  eyed  me  with  curiosity  as  I 
entered  and  took  a  seat  at  the  end  of  the  hall,  near  the 
two  priests  who  were  present  as  witnesses ;  but  no  one 
made  any  objection  to  my  stay. 

I  had  not  been  there  long  when  a  file  of  Amazons  ap- 
peared, bringing  in  Tuptim  and  the  two  other  girls  under 
guard.  These  were  Maprang  and  Simlah,  Tuptim's  most 
intimate  friends,  whom  I  had  always  seen  with  her  when 
she  came  to  the  school-room. 

But  was  that  Tuptim  ?  I  sat  stupefied  at  the  trans- 
formation that  had  been  wrought  in  the  Tuptim  I  had 
known.  Her  hair  was  cut  close  to  her  head,  and  her 
eyebrows  had  been  shaved  off.  Her  cheeks  were  hollow 
and  sunken.  Her  eyes  were  cast  down.  Her  hands  were 
manacled,  and  her  bare  little  feet  could  hardly  drag  along 
the  heavy  chains  that  were  fastened  to  her  ankles.  Her 
scarf  was  tied  tightly  over  her  bosom,  and  under  it  her 
close-fitting  vest  was  buttoned  up  to  the  throat.  Her 
whole  form  was  still  childlike,  but  she  held  herself  erect, 
and  her  manner  was  self-possessed.  When  she  spoke,  her 
voice  was  clear  and  vibrating,  her  accent  firm  and  un- 
flinching. 

The  Amazons  laid  before  the  judges  some  priests'  gar- 
ments and  a  small  amulet  attached  to  a  piece  of  yellow 
cord.  The  vestments,  such  as  are  worn  by  a  nain  (young 
priest),  were  those  in  which  Tuptim  had  been  arrested, 
and  in  which  she  had  probably  escaped  from  the  palace; 
the  amulet,  in  appearance  like  those  worn  by  all  the 
natives  of  the  country,  had  been  taken  from  her  neck. 
On  opening  the  yellow  silk  which  formed  the  envelope  of 
the  latter,  a  piece  of  paper  was  found  stitched  inside,  with 
English  letters  written  thereon.  Khoon  Thow  App  was 
sufficiently  versed  in  English  to  spell  out  and  read  aloud 
the  name  of  "  Khoon  P'hra  Balat." 


tuptim's  trial.  27 

Tuptim  was  then  ordered  to  come  forward  She 
dragged  herself  along  as  well  as  she  could,  and  took  her 
place  in  the  centre  of  the  hall  She  made  no  obeisance, 
no  humble,  appealing  prostration,  bnt  neither  was  there 

any  want  of  modesty  in  her  demeanor.  She  sat  down 
with  the  air  of  one  who  suffered,  hut  who  was  too  proud 
to  complain.  I  caught  a  glance  of  her  eyes;  they  were 
clear  and  bright,  and  an  almost  imperceptible  melancholy 
smile  Bitted  across  her  face  as  she  returned  my  greeting. 
1  was  more  astonished  than  before;  the  simple  child  was 
transfigured  into  a  proud,  heroic  woman,  and,  as  she  sat 
there,  she  seemed  so  calm  and  pure,  that  one  might  think 
she  had  already  crystallized  into  a  lovely  statue. 

Simlah  and  Maprang  were  examined  first,  and,  without 
apparent  reluctance,  confessed  all  that  poor  Tuptim  had 
ever  confided  to  them,  and  a  great  many  other  irrelevant 
matters.  But  when  Simlah  spoke  of  her  friend's  escape 
from  the  palace  as  connected  with  Khoon  Fhra  Bal&t's 
coming  in  for  alms,*  Tuptim  interrupted  her,  telling  her 
to  stop,  and  saying:  "That's  not  true.  You  are  wrong, 
Simlah,  you  know  nothing  about  it.  You  know  you  don't 
And  it  was  not  at  that  time."  Then,  as  if  recollecting 
herself,  she  added,  proudly:  "No  matter.  Go  on.  Never 
mind  me.  Say  all  that  you  want  to  say";  and  resumed 
her  former  position. 

"Well!"  said  Fhayaprome  Baree  Bak,  the  chief  man 
judge;  "if  your  companions  know  nothing  about  it, 
perhaps  you  will  tell  us  exactly  how  it  v 

"If  I  tell  you  the  whole  truth,  will  you  believe  me  and 
judge  me  righteously  ?"  asked  the  girl. 

"You  shall  have  the  bastinado  applied  to  your  bare 
back  if  you  do  not  confess  all  your  guilt  at  once,"  replied 
the  judge. 

Tuptim  did  not  speak  immediately  ;  but  by  the  expres- 

*  "  The  English  Governess  at  the  Siamese  Court,"  p.  95. 


28  ROMANCE  OF  THE  HAREM. 

sion  of  her  eyes  and  the  alternate  flushing  and  paling  of 
her  face  it  was  evident  that  she  was  debating  in  her  own 
mind  whether  she  should  make  a  full  confession  or  not. 
Finally,  with  an  air  of  fixed  determination  she  turned 
towards  Khoon  Thow  App,  and,  addressing  her  exclusively, 
said :  "  Khoon  P'hra  Balat  has  not  sinned,  my  lady,  nor  is 
he  in  any  way  guilty.  All  the  guilt  is  mine.  In  the 
stillness  of  the  nights,  when  I  prostrated  myself  in  prayer 
before  Somdetch  P'hra  Buddh,  the  Chow,  thoughts  of  es- 
caping from  the  palace  often  and  often  would  distract  me 
from  my  devotions  and  take  possession  of  my  thoughts. 
It  seemed  to  me  as  if  it  were  the  voice  of  the  Lord,  and 
that  there  was  nothing  for  me  to  do  but  to  obey.  So  I 
dressed  myself  as  a  priest,  shaved  off  my  hair  and  my 
eyebrows  —  " 

"  Now,"  interrupted  P'hayaprome  Baree  Ptak,  "  that  s 
just  what  we  want  to  hear.  Tell  us  who  it  was  got  the 
priest's  dress  for  you,  and  shaved  off  your  hair  and  your 
eyebrows.     Speak  up  louder." 

"  My  lord,  I  am  telling  what  I  did  myself,  and  not  what 
any  one  else  did.  Hear  me,  and  I  will  speak  the  truth,  so 
far  as  it  relates  to  myself;  beyond  that  I  cannot  go,"  re- 
plied Tuptim,  a  sudden  flush  covering  her  face,  and  mak- 
ing her  look  lovelier  than  ever. 

"  Go  on,"  said  the  dreadful  man,  with  a  scornful  smile 
at  the  childish  form  before  him ;  "  we  shall  find  a  way  to 
make  you  speak." 

"  Deck  nak  "  (she  is  very  young),  said  Khoon  Thow  App, 
gently. 

Tuptim  was  silent  for  some  moments.  The  sunlight, 
streaming  across  the  hall,  fell  just  behind  her,  revealing 
the  exquisite  transparency  of  her  olive-colored  skin,  as, 
with  a  look  more  thoughtful  and  an  expression  more 
serenely  simple  still,  she  continued :  — 

"  At  five  o'clock  in  the  morning,  when  the  priests  were 


tuptim's  trial.  20 

admitted  into  the  palace,  I  crawled  out  of  my  room  and 
joined  the  procession  as  it  passed  on  to  receive  the  royal 
alms.    No  one  saw  me  but  Simian,  and  even  Bhe, 

has  told  me  herself,  did  not  recognize  me,  hut  wondered 
why  a  priest  came  so  near  to  my  door." 

"  That  is  true ! "  broke  in  Simlah ;  "  I  never  even  knew 
that  Tuptim  had  run  away  until  Khoon  Yai  (one  of  the 
chief  ladies  of  the  harem)  sent  to  inquire  why  she  was 
absent  from  duty  so  long,  and  then  I  began  to  think  that 
the  young  priest  I  had  seen  had  something  to  do  with  it. 
But  I  was  afraid  to  say  anything  of  this  to  the  women 
who  searched  the  houses,  lest  we  should  be  accused  of 
having  helped  her  to  escape." 

When  Simlah  had  done  speaking,  Tuptim  contin- 
ued :  — 

"  I  know  not  why,  but,  when  I  found  myself  outside  of 
the  palace  walls,  I  went  straight  to  the  temple  of  Rajah 
Bah  ditt  Sang,  and  sat  down  at  the  gate.  Towards  evening 
the  good  priest,  Chow  Khoon  Sah,  came  out,  and,  on  see- 
ing me,  asked  me  why  I  sat  there.  I  did  not  know  what 
else  to  say,  and  so  I  begged  him  to  let  me  be  his  disciple 
and  live  in  his  monastery.  ( Whose  disciple  art  thou,  my 
child  ? '  he  asked.  At  which  I  began  to  cry,  for  I  did  not 
wish  to  deceive  the  holy  man.  Seeing  my  distress,  lie 
turned  to  Fhra  Balat,  who  was  following  him  with  other 
priests,  and  bade  him  take  me  under  his  charge  and  in- 
struct me  faithfully  in  all  the  doctrines  of  Buddha  Then 
Fhra  Balat  took  me  to  his  cell ;  but  he  did  not  recognize 
in  the  young  priest  I  seemed  to  be  the  Tuptim  he  had 
known  in  his  boyhood,  and  who  had  once  been  his  be- 
trothed wife." 

At  this  part  of  Tuptim's  recital,  the  women  held  up 
their  hands  in  profound  astonishment,  and  the  men  judges 
grinned  maliciously,  displaying  their  hateful  gums,  red 
with  the  juice  of  the  betel-nut. 


30  ROMANCE   OF  THE  HAREM. 

The  poor  girl's  pale  lips  quivered,  and  her  whole  face 
testified  to  the  immensity  of  her  woe,  as  with  simple, 
truthful  earnestness  she  asseverated :  "  P'hra  Balat,  whom 
you  have  condemned  to  torture  and  to  death,  has  not 
sinned.  He  is  innocent.  The  sin  is  mine,  and  mine  only. 
I  knew  that  I  was  a  woman,  but  he  did  not.  If  I  had 
known  all  that  he  has  taught  me  since  I  became  his  dis- 
ciple, I  could  not  have  committed  the  great  sin  of  which 
I  am  accused.  I  would  have  tried,  indeed  and  truly,  I 
would  have  tried  to  endure  my  life  in  the  palace,  and 
would  not  have  run  away.  0  lady  dear !  believe  that  I 
am  speaking  the  truth.  I  grew  quiet  and  happy  because 
I  was  near  him,  and  he  taught  me  every  day,  and  I  can 
say  the  whole  of  the  Nava  d'harma  (Divine  Law)  by 
heart.  You  can  ask  his  other  disciples  who  were  with 
me,  and  they  will  tell  you  that  I  was  always  modest  and 
humble,  and  we  all  lay  at  his  feet  by  night.  Indeed,  dear 
lady,  I  did  not  so  much  want  to  be  his  wife  after  he  be- 
came a  p'hra  (priest),  but  only  to  be  near  him.  On  Sun- 
day morning,  those  men,"  pointing  to  the  two  priests  who 
sat  apart,  "  came  to  the  cell  to  see  P'hra  Balat,  and  it  so 
happened  that  I  had  overslept  myself.  I  had  just  got  up 
and  was  arranging  my  dress,  thinking  that  I  was  alone  in 
the  cell,  when  I  heard  a  low  chuckling  laugh.  In  an  in- 
stant I  turned  and  faced  them,  and  felt  that  I  was  de- 
graded forever. 

"Believe  me,  dear  lady,"  continued  Tuptim,  growing 
more  and  more  eloquent  as  she  became  still  more  earnest 
in  her  recital.  "  I  was  guilty,  it  is  true,  when  I  fled  from 
my  gracious  master,  the  king,  but  I  never  even  contem- 
plated the  sin  of  which  I  am  accused  by  those  men.  I 
knew  that  I  was  innocent,  and  I  begged  them  to  let  me 
leave  the  temple,  and  hide  myself  anywhere,  telling  them 
that  P'hra  Balat  did  not  know  who  I  was,  or  that  I  was  a 
woman ;  but  they  only  laughed  and  jeered  at  me.     I  fell 


tuptim's  tkial.  :;i 

on  my  knees  at  their  feet,  and  implored  them,  enta 
them  in  the  name  of  all  that  is  holy  and  sacred,  to  keep 
my  secret  and  let  me  go;  but  they  only  laughed  and 
jeered  at  me  the  more;  they  would  not  be  merciful,"  — 
here  the  poor  girl  gasped  as  if  for  breath,  while  two  large 
tears  coursed  down  her  cheeks,  —  "  and  then  I  defied  them, 
and  T  still  defy  them,"  she  added,  shaking  her  manacled 
hands  at  them. 

The  two  priests  looked  at  the  girl  unmoved,  chewing  their 
betel  all  the  while ;  the  judges  listened  in  silence,  with  an  air 
of  amused  incredulity,  as  to  a  fairy-tale.  She  continued  :  — 

"  Just  then  P'hra  Balat  and  his  other  disciples  returned 
from  their  morning  ablutions.  I  crawled  to  his  feet,  and 
told  him  that  I  was  Tuptim.  He  started  back  and  re- 
coiled to  the  end  of  the  cell,  as  if  the  very  earth  had 
quaked  beneath  him,  leaving  me  prostrate  and  over- 
whelmed with  horror  at  what  I  had  done.  In  a  moment 
afterwards  he  came  back  to  me,  and,  while  weeping  bit- 
terly himself,  begged  me  that  I  would  cry  no  more.  But 
the  sight  of  his  tears,  and  the  grief  in  my  heart,  made  me 
feel  as  if  I  wrere  being  swallowed  up  in  a  great  black 
abyss,  and  I  could  not  help  crying  more  and  more.  Then 
he  tried  to  soothe  me,  and  said,  'Alas !  Tuptim,  thou  hast 
committed  a  great  sin.  But  fear  not.  We  are  innocent ; 
and  for  the  sake  of  the  great  love  thou  hast  shown  to  me, 
I  am  ready  to  suffer  even  unto  death  for  thee.'  This  is 
the  whole  truth.     Indeed,  indeed,  it  is  ! " 

"Well,  well!"  said  Phayaprome Baree  Rak,  "you  have 
told  your  story  beautifully,  but  nobody  believes  you.  Now 
will  you  tell  us  who  shaved  off  your  hair  and  your  eyebrows, 
and  brought  you  that  priest's  dress  you  had  on  yesterday  ? " 

The  simple  grandeur  of  that  fragile  child,  as  she  folded 
her  chained  hands  across  her  bosom,  as  if  to  still  its  tu- 
multuous heaving,  and  replied,  "  I  will  not ! "  defies  all 
description. 


32  ROMANCE   OF   THE   HAREM. 

I  had  drawn  quite  near  to  Tuptim  when  she  began  her 
simple  narrative,  and  was  so  much  absorbed  in  attention 
to  what  she  said,  and  in  admiration  of  the  fearlessness  as 
well  as  of  the  beauty  and  majesty  of  that  little  figure, 
that  I  had  remained  rooted  to  the  spot,  standing  there 
mechanically,  and  hardly  noting  what  was  going  on 
around  me.  But  the  effect  of  that  reply  was  startling ; 
it  brought  me  suddenly  to  my  senses  and  to  a  full  appre- 
ciation of  the  scene  before  me. 

There  was  a  child  of  barely  sixteen  years  hurling  defi- 
ance, at  her  own  risk  and  peril,  at  the  judges  who  appeared 
as  giants  beside  her.  To  make  such  a  reply  to  those  ex- 
ecutors of  Siam's  cruel  laws  was  not  only  to  accept  death, 
but  all  the  agonies  of  merciless  torture.  As  her  refusal 
fell  like  a  thunderbolt  upon  my  startled  ears,  she  seemed 
a  very  Titan  among  the  giants. 

"  Strip  her,  and  give  her  thirty  blows,"  shouted  the  in- 
furiated P'hayaprome  Baree  Bak,  in  a  voice  hoarse  with 
passion ;  and  Khoon  Thow  App  looked  calmly  on. 

Presently  the  crowd  opened,  and  a  litter  borne  by  two 
men  was  brought  into  the  hall.  On  it  lay  the  mutilated 
form  of  the  priest  Balat,  who  had  just  undergone  the  tor- 
ture, in  order  to  make  him  confess  his  guilt  and  that  of 
his  accomplice,  Tuptim ;  but  as  the  minutes  of  the  eccle- 
siastical court  stated,  "  it  had  not  been  possible  to  elicit 
from  him  even  an  indication  that  he  had  anything  to  con- 
fess." His  priestly  robes  had  been  taken  from  him,  and 
he  was  dressed  like  any  ordinary  layman,  except  that  his 
hair  and  eyebrows  were  closely  shaven.  They  laid  him 
down  beside  Tuptim,  hoping  that  the  sight  of  her  under 
torture  would  induce  him  to  confess. 

The  next  moment  Tuptim  was  stripped  of  her  vest  and 
bound  to  a  stake,  and  the  executioners  proceeded  to  obey 
the  orders  of  the  judge.  When  the  first  blow  descended 
on  the  girl's  bare  and  delicate  shoulders,  I  felt  as  if  bound 


A   SIAMESE  8LAVE-GIRL 


tuptim's  trial  33 

and  lacerated  myself,  and  losing  all  control  over  my  ac- 
tions, forgetting  that  I  was  a  Btranger  and  a  foreigner 
there,  and  as  powerless  as  the  weakest  of  the  oppn 

around  me,  I  sprang  forward,  and  heard  my  voice  com- 
manding the  executioners  to  desist,  as  they  valued  their 
lives. 

The  Amazons  at  once  dropped  their  uplifted  bamboos, 
and  "Why  so?"  asked  the  judge.  "At  least  till  1  can 
plead  for  Tuptim  before  his  Majesty,"  I  replied.  "  So  be 
it,"  said  the  wretch;  "go  your  way;  we  will  wait  your 
return."*  Tuptim  was  unbound,  and  the  moment  she 
was  released  she  crouched  down  and  concealed  herself 
under  the  folds  of  the  canvas  litter  in  which  the  priest 
lay  motionless  and  silent. 

I  forced  my  way  through  the  curious  crowd,  who  stood 
on  tiptoe  and  with  necks  outstretched,  trying  to  get  a 
sight  of  the  guilty  pair.  On  leaving  the  hall,  I  met  the 
slave-girl  Phim,  who  followed  me  into  the  palace,  wring- 
ing her  hands  and  sobbing  bitterly.  The  king  was  in  his 
breakfast-hall,  and  the  smell  of  food  made  me  feel  sick 
and  dizzy  as  I  climbed  the  lofty  staircase,  for  I  had  eaten 
nothing  that  day.  Nevertheless,  I  walked  as  rapidly  as 
possible  up  to  the  chair  in  which  the  king  was  seated, 
fearing  that  I  might  lose  my  courage  if  I  deliberated  a 
moment,  "Your  Majesty,"  I  began  to  say,  in  a  voice 
that  seemed  quite  strange  to  me,  "I  beg,  I  entreat  yonr 
pity  on  poor  Tuptim.  I  assure  you  that  she  is  innocent. 
If  you  had  known  from  the  beginning  that  she  was  be- 
trothed to  another  man,  you  would  never  have  taken  her 
to  be  your  wife  She  is  not  guilty  ;  and  the  priest,  too, 
is  innocent.     Oh !    do  be  gracious  to  them  and  forgive 

*  I  cannot  account  for  the  regard  paid  to  my  words  on  this  and  other 
occasions  by  the  officers  of  the  court,  except  from  the  fact  of  the  general 
belief  that  I  had  great  influence  with  the  king,  and  the  supposition  en- 
tertained by  many  that  I  was  a  member  of  the  Secret  Council,  which  is, 
in  reality,  the  supreme  power  in  Siam. 

2*  C 


34  EOMANCE   OF  THE  HAREM. 

them  both !  I  pray  your  Majesty  to  give  me  a  scrap  of 
writing  to  say  that  she  is  forgiven,  and  that  the  priest, 
too,  is  pardoned,  through  your  goodness ;  only  let  me  —  " 
My  voice  failed  me,  and  I  sank  upon  the  floor  by  the  king's 
chair.  "  I  beg  your  Majesty's  pardon  — "  "  You  are 
mad,"  said  the  monarch ;  and,  fixing  a  cold  stare  upon  me, 
he  burst  out  laughing  in  my  face.  I  started  to  my  feet 
as  if  I  had  received  a  blow.  Staggering  to  a  pillar,  and 
leaning  against  it,  I  stood  looking  at  him.  I  saw  that 
there  was  something  indescribably  revolting  about  him, 
something  fiendish  in  his  character  which  had  never  struck 
me  before,  and  I  was  seized  with  an  inexpressible  horror 
of  the  man.  Stupefied  and  amazed  quite  as  much  at 
finding  myself  there  as  at  the  new  development  I  wit- 
nessed, thought  and  speech  alike  failed  me,  and  I  turned 
to  go  away. 

"  Madam,"  said  that  man  to  me,  "  come  back.  I  have 
granted  your  petition,  and  the  woman  will  be  condemned 
to  work  in  the  rice-mill.  You  need  not  return  to  the 
court-house.     You  had  better  go  to  the  school  now." 

I  could  not  thank  him ;  the  revulsion  of  feeling  was 
too  great.  I  understood  him  perfectly,  but  I  had  no 
power  to  speak.  I  went  away  without  a  word,  and  at  the 
head  of  the  stairs  met  one  of  the  women  judges  bringing 
some  papers  in  her  hand  to  the  king.  Instead  of  going 
to  the  school  I  went  home,  utterly  sick  and  prostrated. 


THE  KING   CHANGES   HIS   MIND. 


CHAPTEE    IV. 

THE   KING   CHANGES   niS   MIND. 

ABOUT  two  o'clock  that  very  afternoon  I  was  startled 
to  see  two  scaffolds  set  np  on  the  great  common  in 
front  of  my  windows,  opposite  the  palace.  A  vast  crowd 
of  men,  women,  and  children  had  already  collected  from 
every  quarter,  in  order  to  see  the  spectacle,  whatever  it 
might  happen  to  be.  A  number  of  workmen  were  driv- 
ing stakes  and  bringing  up  strange  machines,  under  the 
hurried  instructions  of  several  high  Siamese  officials. 
There  was  an  appearance  of  great  and  general  excitement 
among  the  crowd  on  the  green,  and  I  became  sufficiently 
aroused  to  inquire  of  my  maid  what  was  the  reason  of 
all  this  preparation  and  commotion.  She  informed  me 
that  a  Badachit  (guilty  priest)  and  a  Nangharm  (royal 
concubine)  were  to  be  exposed  and  tortured  for  the  im- 
provement of  the  public  morals  that  afternoon.  It  was 
afternoon  already. 

As  I  afterwards  learned,  I  had  no  sooner  left  the  king 
than  the  woman  judge  I  had  met  at  the  head  of  the 
staircase  laid  before  him  the  proceedings  of  both  the 
trials,  of  Balat  and  Tuptim.  On  reading  them  he  repented 
of  his  promised  mercy,  flew  into  a  violent  rage  against 
Tuptim  and  me,  and,  not  knowing  how  to  punish  me 
except  by  showing  me  his  absolute  power  of  life  and 
death  over  his  subjects,  ordered  the  scaffolds  to  be  set  up 
before  my  windows,  and  swore  vengeance  against  any 
person  who  should  again  dare  to  oppose  his  royal  will  and 
pleasure.  To  do  justice  to  the  king,  I  must  here  add  that, 
having  been  educated  a  priest,  he  had  been  taught  to  re- 


36  ROMANCE   OF  THE  HAREM. 

gard  the  crime  of  which  Tuptim  and  Balat  were  accused 
as  the  most  deadly  sin  that  could  be  committed  by  man. 

The  scaffolds  or  pillories  on  which  the  priest  and 
Tuptim  were  to  be  exposed  were  made  of  poles,  and  about 
five  feet  high ;  and  to  each  were  attached  two  long  levers, 
which  were  fastened  to  the  neck  of  the  victim,  and  pre- 
vented his  falling  off,  while  they  were  so  arranged  as  to 
strangle  him  in  case  this  was  the  sentence. 

All  the  windows  of  the  long  antechamber  that  filled 
the  eastern  front  of  the  palace  were  thrown  open,  and  I 
could  see  the  hurried  preparations  making  for  the  king, 
the  princes  and  princesses,  and  all  the  great  ladies  of  the 
court,  who  from  there  were  to  witness  the  exquisite  tor- 
ture that  awaited  the  hapless  Tuptim. 

Paralyzed  by  the  knowledge  that  the  only  person  who 
could  have  done  anything  to  mitigate  the  barbarous 
cruelty  that  was  about  to  be  perpetrated  —  her  Britannic 
Majesty's  Consul,  T.  G.  Knox,  now  Consul-General  —  was 
then  absent  from  Bangkok,  I  looked  in  helpless  despair 
at  what  was  going  on  before  me.  I  longed  to  escape 
into  the  forest,  or  to  take  refuge  with  the  missionaries, 
who  lived  several  miles  down  the  river;  but  so  dense 
was  the  crowd  and  so  horrible  the  idea  of  deserting  poor 
Tuptim  and  leaving  her  to  suffer  alone,  that  I  felt  obliged 
to  stay  and  sympathize  with  her  and  pray  for  her,  at  the 
least.  I  thus  compelled  myself  to  endure  what  was  one 
of  the  severest  trials  of  my  life. 

A  little  before  three  o'clock  the  instruments  of  torture 
were  brought,  and  placed  beside  the  scaffolds.  Soon  a 
long,  loud  flourish  of  trumpets  announced  the  arrival  of 
the  royal  party,  and  the  king  and  all  Ins  court  were  visible 
at  the  open  windows ;  the  Amazons,  dressed  in  scarlet  and 
gold,  took  their  post  in  the  turrets  to  guard  the  favored 
fair  ones  who  were  doomed  to  be  present  and  to  witness 
the  sufferings  of  their  former  companion. 


1HB   KING   CHANGES   HIS   MIND.  37 

Suddenly  the  throng  sent  up  a  thrilling  cry,  whether  of 
joy  or  sorrow  I  could  not  comprehend,  and,  the  moment 
after,  the  priest  was  hoisted  upon  the  scaffold  to  the  right, 
while  Tuptim  tranquilly  ascended  that  to  the  left,  nearest 
my  windows.  I  thought  I  could  see  that  the  poor  priest 
turned  his  eyes,  full  of  love  and  grief,  towards  her. 

I  need  not  attempt  to  depict  the  feelings  with  which  I 
saw  the  little  lady,  with  her  hands,  which  were  no  longer 
chained,  folded  upon  her  bosom,  look  calmly  down  upon 
the  heartless  and  abandoned  rabble  who,  as  usual, 
flocked  around  the  scaffold  to  gloat  upon  the  spectacle, 
and  who  usually  greet  with  ferocious  howls  the  agonies 
of  the  poor  tortured  victims.  But,  on  tins  occasion,  the 
rabble  were  awed  into  silence ;  while  some  simple  hearts, 
here  and  there,  firm  believers  in  Tuptim's  innocence,  were 
so  impressed  by  her  calm  self-possession,  that  they  even 
prostrated  themselves  in  worship  of  that  childish  form. 

My  windows  were  closed  upon  the  scene ;  but  that  tiny 
figure,  with  her  scarlet  scarf  fluttering  in  the  breeze,  had 
so  strong  a  fascination  for  me,  that  I  could  not  withdraw, 
but  leaned  against  the  shutters,  an  unwilling  witness  of 
what  took  place,  with  feelings  of  pain,  indignation,  pity, 
and  conscious  helplessness  which  can  be  imagined. 

Two  trumpeters,  one  on  the  right  and  one  on  the  left, 
blared  forth  the  nature  of  the  crime  of  which  the  helpless 
pair  were  accused.  Ten  thousand  eyes  were  fixed  upon 
tli. -in,  but  no  sound,  no  cry,  was  heard.  Every  one  held 
his  breath,  and  remained  mute  in  fixed  attention,  in  order 
not  to  lose  a  single  word  of  the  sentence  that  was  to  fol- 
low. Again  the  trumpets  sounded,  and  the  conviction  of 
the  accused,  with  the  judgment  that  had  been  passed  upon 
them,  was  announced.  Then  the  spell  was  broken,  and 
some  of  the  throng,  as  if  desirous  to  propitiate  the  royal 
spectator  at  the  window,  made  the  air  ring  with  their 
shouts;   while  others,  going   still  further,   showered   all 


38  ROMANCE  OF  THE  HAREM. 

manner  of  abuse  upon  the  poor  girl,  as  she  stood  calmly 
awaiting  her  fate  upon  those  shaking  wooden  posts. 

Nothing  could  surpass  the  dignity  of  demeanor  with 
which  the  little  lady  sustained  the  storm  of  calumny  from 
the  more  mercenary  of  the  rabble  around  her;  but  the 
rapidity  with  which  the  color  came  and  went  in  her 
cheeks,  which  were  now  of  glowing  crimson  and  now 
deadly  pale,  and  the  astonishment  and  indignation  which 
flashed  from  her  eyes,  showed  the  agitation  within. 

The  shrill  native  trumpets  sounded  for  the  third  time. 
The  multitude  was  again  hushed  into  a  profound  silence, 
and  the  executioners  mounted  a  raised  platform  to  apply 
the  torture  to  Tuptim.  For  one  moment  it  seemed  as  if 
the  intense  agony  exceeded  her  power  of  endurance.  She 
half  turned  her  back  upon  the  royal  spectator  at  the 
window,  her  form  became  convulsed,  and  she  tried  to  hide 
her  face  in  her  hands.  But  she  immediately  raised  her- 
self up  as  by  a  supreme  effort,  and  her  voice  rang  out, 
like  a  clear,  deep-toned  silver  bell :  "  Chan  my  di  phit ; 
Khoon  P'hra  Balat  ko  my  me  phit;  P'hra  Buddh  the 
Chow  sap  mot."  She  had  hardly  done  speaking  when  she 
uttered  an  agonized  cry,  wild  and  piercing.  It  was  pecu- 
liarly touching;  the  cry  was  that  of  a  child,  an  infant 
falling  from  its  mother's  arms,  and  she  fell  forward  in- 
sensible upon  the  two  poles  placed  there  to  support  her. 

The  attendant  physicians  soon  restored  her  to  con- 
sciousness, and,  after  a  short  interval,  the  torture  was 
again  applied.  Once  more  her  voice  rang  out  more 
musical  still,  for  its  quivering  vibrations  were  full  of  the 
tenderest  devotion,  the  most  sublime  heroism :  "  I  have 
not  sinned,  nor  has  the  priest  my  lord  Balat  sinned.  The 
sacred  Buddh  *  in  heaven  knows  all."    Every  torture  that 

*  The  Siamese  in  their  prayers  and  invocations  abbreviate  the  titles 
of  the  Buddha;  the  more  educated  using  the  word  "Buddh,"  and  the 
common  j)eople  "P'huth." 


Tin;  KING   CHANGES   HIS  MIND.  39 

would  agonize,  but  not  kill,  was  employed  to  wring  a  con- 
fession of  guilt  from  the  suffering  Tuptim;  but  every  tor- 
tuiv,  every  pang,  every  agony,  failed,  utterly  and  com- 
pletely foiled,  to  bring  forth  anything  but  the  childlike 
innocence  of  that  incomparable  pagan  woman.  The  honor 
of  the  priest  Balat  seemed  inexpressibly  more  precious 
to  her  than  her  own  life,  for  the  last  words  I  heard  from 
her  were :  "All  the  guilt  was  mine.  I  knew  that  I  was  a 
woman,  but  he  did  not." 

After  this  I  neither  heard  nor  saw  anything  more.  I  was 
completely  exhausted  and  worn  out,  and  had  no  strength 
left  to  endure  further  sight  of  this  monstrous,  this  inhuman 
tragedy.     Kind  nature  came  to  my  relief,  and  I  fainted. 

When  I  again  looked  from  my  window  the  scaffolds 
were  removed,  the  crowd  had  departed,  the  sun  had  set. 
I  strained  my  eyes,  trying  if  I  could  distinguish  anything 
on  the  great  common  before  the  house.  There  was  a 
thick  mist  loaded  with  sepulchral  vapors,  a  terrifying 
silence,  an  absolute  quiet  that  made  me  shudder,  as  if  I 
were  entombed  alive.  At  last  I  saw  one  solitary  person 
coming  towards  my  house  through  the  gathering  darkness. 
It  was  the  slave-girl,  Phim,  whose  life  had  been  saved 
by  the  resolute  bravery  of  her  mistress ;  for  it  was  she 
who  had  bought  the  priest's  dress  and  aided  her  mistress 
to  escape  from  the  palace.  She  came  to  me  in  secret  to 
tell  me  that  the  most  merciful  and  yet  the  most  dreadful 
doom,  death  by  fire,  —  which  is  the  punishment  assigned 
by  the  laws  of  Siam  to  the  crime  of  which  they  were 
accused,  —  had  been  pronounced  upon  the  priest  and  Tup- 
tim  by  that  most  irresponsible  of  human  beings,  the  King 
of  Siam;  that  they  had  suffered  publicly  outside  of  the 
moat  and  wall  which  enclose  the  cemetery  Watt  Sail 
Kate ;  and  that  some  of  the  common  people  had  been 
terribly  affected  by  the  sight  of  the  priest's  invincible 
courage  and  of  Tuptim's  heroic  fortitude.     With  her  low, 


40  ROMANCE  OF  THE  HAREM. 

massive  brow,  her  wild,  glistening  eyes,  and  her  whole 
soul  in  her  face,  she  spoke  as  if  she  still  beheld  that  fra- 
gile form  in  its  last  struggle  with  the  flaming  fire  that 
wrapped  it  round  about,  and  still  heard  her  beloved  mis- 
tress's voice,  as  she  confronted  the  populace,  holding  up 
her  mutilated  hands,  and  saying:  "I  am  pure,  and  the 
priest,  my  lord  Balat,  is  pure  also.  See,  these  fingers 
have  not  made  my  lips  to  lie.  The  sacred  Buddli  in 
heaven  judge  between  me  and  my  accusers  ! " 

The  slave-girl's  grief  was  as  deep  and  lasting  as  her 
gratitude.  Every  seventh  day  she  offered  fresh  flowers 
and  odoriferous  tapers  upon  the  spot  where  her  mistress 
and  the  priest  had  suffered,  firmly  believing  that  their 
disembodied  souls  still  hovered  about  the  place  at  twi- 
light, bewailing  their  cruel  fate.  She  assured  me  that  she 
often  heard  voices  moaning  plaintively  through  the  mellow 
evening  air,  growing  deeper  and  gathering  strength  as  she 
listened,  and  seeming  to  draw  her  very  soul  away  with 
them;  now  tenderly  weeping,  now  fervently  exulting, 
until  they  became  indistinct,  and  finally  died  away  in  the 
regions  of  the  blessed  and  the  pure. 

I  afterwards  learned  that  the  fickle  populace,  convinced 
of  the  innocence  of  Balat  and  Tuptim,  would  have  taken 
speedy  vengeance  on  the  two  priests,  their  accusers,  had 
they  not  escaped  from  Bangkok  to  a  monastery  at  Pak- 
nam;  and  that  the  twenty  caties  offered  for  the  capture 
of  Tuptim  had  been  expended  in  the  purchase  of  yellow 
robes,  earthen  pots,  pillows,  and  mats  for  the  use  of  the 
bonzes  at  Watt  Eajah  Bah  ditt  Sang,  no  priest  being 
allowed  to  touch  silver  or  gold. 

The  name  Balat,  which  signifies  "  wonderful,"  had  been 
given  to  the  priest  by  the  high-priest,  Chow  Khoon  Sah, 
because  of  his  deep  piety  and  his  intuitive  perception  of 
divine  and  holy  truths.  The  name  which  his  mother  be- 
stowed upon  him,  and  by  which  Tuptim  had  known  him 


THE  KING  CHANGES    Mis   MIND.  41 

in  her  earlier  years,  was  Dang,  because  of  his  complexion, 
which  was  a  golden  yellow.  On  being  bereft  of  Tuptim, 
to  whom  he  was  tenderly  attached,  he  entered  the  monas- 
tery, and  became  a  priest,  in  order  that,  by  austere  devo- 
tion and  the  study  of  the  Divine  Law,  he  might  wean  his 
heart  from  her  and  distract  his  mind  from  the  contempla- 
tion of  his  irreparable  loss. 

For  more  than  a  month  after  Tuptim's  sad  death  I  did  not 
see  the  kin"-.  At  last  he  summoned  me  to  his  presence, 
and  never  did  I  feel  so  cold,  so  hard,  and  so  unforgiving,  as 
when  I  once  more  entered  his  breakfast-hall.  He  took 
no  notice  of  my  manner,  but,  as  soon  as  he  saw  me,  be- 
gan with  what  was  uppermost  in  his  mind.  "I  have 
much  sorrow  for  Tuptim,"  he  said  ;  "  I  shall  now  believe 
she  is  innocent.  I  have  had  a  dream,  and  I  had  clear  ob- 
servation in  my  vision  of  Tuptim  and  Balat  floating  to- 
gether in  a  great  wide  space,  and  she  has  bent  down  and 
touched  me  on  the  shoulder,  and  said  to  me,  '  We  are 
guiltless.  We  were  ever  pure  and  guiltless  on  earth,  and 
look,  we  are  happy  now.'  After  discoursing  thus,  she  has 
mounted  on  high  and  vanished  from  my  further  observa- 
tion. I  have  much  sorrow,  mam,  much  sorrow,  and  re- 
spect for  your  judgment ;  but  our  laws  are  severe  for  such 
the  crime.  But  now  I  shall  cause  monument  to  be  erected 
to  the  memory  of  Balat  and  Tuptim." 

Any  one  who  may  now  pass  by  Watt  Sah  Kale  will 
see  two  tall  and  slender  P'hra  Chadees,  or  obelisks, 
erected  by  order  of  the  king  on  the  spot  where  those 
lovely  Buddhists  suffered,  each  bearing  this  inscription : 
'Suns  may  set  and  rise  again,  but  the  pure  and  brave 
Balat  and  Tuptim  will  never  more  return  tu  this  earth." 


42  ROMANCE  OF  THE  HAREM. 


CHAPTEK  V. 

SLAVERY  IN  THE  GRAND  ROYAL  PALACE  OF  THE  "INVIN- 
CIBLE AND  BEAUTIFUL  ARCHANGEL."* 

ONE  morning  in  the  early  part  of  May,  1863,  I  went 
at  the  usual  hour  to  my  temple  school-room,  and 
found  that  all  my  pupils  had  gone  to  the  Maha  P'lira 
Saat  to  attend  a  religious  ceremony,  at  which  I  also  was 
requested  to  be  present. 

Following  the  directions  of  one  of  the  flower-girls,  I 
turned  into  a  long,  dark  alley,  through  which  I  hurried, 
passing  into  another,  and  keeping,  as  I  thought,  in  the 
right  direction.  These  alleys  brought  me  at  last  into  one 
of  those  gloomy  walled  streets,  into  which  no  sunlight 
ever  penetrated,  and  which  are  to  be  found  only  in  Bang- 
kok, the  farther  end  of  which  seemed  lost  in  mist  and 
darkness. 

Stone  benches,  black  with  moss  and  fungi,  lined  it  at 
intervals,  and  a  sort  of  pale  night-grass  covered  the  path- 
way. There  was  not  a  soul  to  be  seen  throughout  its 
whole  length,  which  appeared  very  natural,  for  it  did  not 
seem  as  if  the  street  were  made  for  any  one  to  walk  in, 
but  as  if  it  were  intended  to  be  kept  secluded  from  pub- 
lic use.  I  walked  on,  however,  looking  for  some  opening 
out  of  it,  and  hoping  every  moment  to  find  an  exit.  But 
I  suddenly  came  to  the  end.  It  was  a  cul-de-sac,  and  a 
high  brick  wall  barred  my  further  progress. 

In  the  middle  of  this  wall  was  set  a  door  of  polished 
brass.  The  shadow  of  a  tall  and  grotesque  facade  rested 
upon  the  wall  and  on  the  narrow  deserted  street,  like  an 

*  This  is  the  official  title  of  the  royal  palace  at  Bangkok. 


SLAVERY  IN   THE   GRAND   ROYAL  PALACE.  43 

immense  Mark  pall.  The  solitude  of  the  place  was 
strangely  calm.  With  that  frightful  din  and  roar  of  the 
palace  life  so  near,  the  silence  seemed  almost  supernatu- 
ral It  cast  a  shadow  of  distrust  over  me.  I  almost  Celt 
as  if  that  wall,  that  roof  with  its  towering  front,  were 
built  of  the  deaf  stones  spoken  of  in  Scripture.  All  at 
once  the  wind  rattled  the  dry  grass  on  the  top  oi'  the 
wall,  making  a  low,  soft,  mournful  noise.  I  started  from 
my  revery,  hardly  able  to  account  for  the  feeling  of  dread 
that  crept  over  me.  Half  ashamed  of  my  idle  fears,  I 
pushed  at  the  door  with  all  my  might.  Slowly,  noise- 
lessly, the  huge  door  swung  back,  and  I  stepped  into  a 
paved  court-yard,  with  a  garden  on  one  side  and  a  building 
suggestive  of  nocturnal  mystery  and  gloom  on  the  other. 

The  facade  of  this  building  was  still  more  gloomy  than 
that  on  the  outside  of  the  wall.  All  the  windows  were 
closed.  On  the  upper  story  the  shutters  were  like  those 
used  in  prisons.  No  other  house  could  be  seen.  The 
high  wall  ran  all  round  and  enclosed  the  garden.  The 
walks  were  bordered  with  diminutive  Chinese  trees,  plant- 
ed in  straight  rows;  grass  covered  half  of  them,  and 
moss  the  rest. 

Nothing  could  be  imagined  more  wild  and  more  de- 
serted than  this  house  and  this  garden.  But  the  object 
that  attracted  my  immediate  attention  was  a  woman, 
the  only  animate  being  then  visible  to  me  in  the  apparent 
solitude.  She  was  seated  beside  a  small  pond  of  water, 
and  I  soon  discovered  that  she  was  not  alone,  but  was 
nursing  a  naked  child  about  four  years  old. 

The  moment  the  woman  became  conscious  of  my  pres- 
ence, she  raised  her  head  with  a  quick,  impetuous  move- 
ment, clasped  her  bare  arms  around  tin'  nude  form  at  her 
breast,  and  stared  at  me  with  fixed  and  defiant  eyes.  Her 
aspect  was  almost  terrifying;  She  seemed  as  if  hewn  out 
of  stone  and  set  there  to  intimidate  intruders.     She  was 


44  ROMANCE   OF  THE   HAREM. 

large,  well  made,  and  swarthy ;  her  features  were  gaunt 
and  fierce,  but  looked  as  if  her  face  might  once  have  been 
attractive.  I  relaxed  my  hold  of  the  door;  it  swung 
back  with  a  dull,  ominous  thud,  and  I  stood  half  trem- 
bling beside  the  dark,  defiant  woman,  whose  eyes  only 
gave  any  indication  of  vitality,  hoping  to  prevail  upon 
her  to  show  me  my  way  out  of  that  dismal  solitude. 

The  moment  I  approached  her,  however,  I  was  seized 
with  inexpressible  dismay ;  pity  and  astonishment,  min- 
gling with  a  sense  of  supreme  indignation,  held  me  speech- 
less for  a  time.  She  was  naked  to  the  waist,  and  chained, 
—  chained  like  a  wild  beast  by  one  leg  to  a  post  driven 
into  the  ground,  and  without  the  least  shelter  under  that 
burning  sky. 

The  chain  was  of  cast-iron,  and  heavy,  consisting  of 
seven  long  double-links,  attached  to  a  ring,  and  fitted  close 
to  the  right  leg  just  above  the  ankle ;  it  was  secured  to 
the  post  by  a  rivet.  Under  her  lay  a  tattered  fragment 
of  matting,  farther  on  a  block  of  wood  for  a  pillow,  and 
on  the  other  side  were  several  broken  Chinese  umbrellas. 

Growing  more  and  more  bewildered,  I  sat  down  and 
looked  at  the  woman  in  a  sort  of  helpless  despair.  The 
whole  scene  was  startlingly  impressive ;  the  apathy,  the 
deadness,  and  the  barbarous  cruelty  of  the  palace  life,  were 
never  more  strikingly  brought  before  me  face  to  face. 
Here  there  was  no  doubting,  no  denying,  no  questioning 
the  fact  that  this  unhappy  creature  was  suffering  under 
some  cruel  wrong,  which  no  one  cared  to  redress.  Naked 
to  the  waist,  her  long  filthy  hair  bound  in  dense  masses 
around  her  brow,  she  sat  calmly,  uncomplainingly,  under 
a  burning  tropical  sun,  such  as  we  children  of  a  more 
temperate  clime  can  hardly  imagine,  fierce,  lurid,  and 
scorching,  nursing  at  her  breast  a  child  full  of  health  and 
begrimed  with  dirt,  with  a  tenderness  that  would  have 
graced  the  most  high-born  gentlewoman. 


SLAVERY  IX  THE  GRAND  ROYAL  PALACE.       45 

I  remained  long  and  indignantly  silent,  before  I  could 
find  voice  for  the  questions  that  rose  to  my  lips.  But  at 
length  1  inquired  her  name.     "Pye-sia"  (begone),  was 

her  fierce  reply. 

"Why  art  thou  thus  chained?  Wilt  thou  not  tell 
me?"  I  pleaded. 

"Pye"  (go),  said  the  woman,  snatching  her  breast  im- 
patiently from  the  sucking  child,  and  at  the  same  time 
turning  her  back  upon  me. 

The  child  set  up  a  tremendous  scream,  which  was  re- 
echoed through  the  strange  place.  The  woman  turned 
and  took  him  into  her  arms ;  and  as  if  there  were  an  in- 
dwelling persuasiveness  about  them,  he  was  quieted  in  an 
instant 

Eocking  him  to  and  fro,  with  her  face  resting  against 
his  unwashed  cheek,  she  was  no  longer  repulsive,  but  glo- 
rious, clothed  in  the  beauty  and  strength  of  a  noble  human 
love.  I  rose  respectfully  from  the  low  wall  of  the  pond, 
where  I  had  seated  myself,  and  took  my  place  on  the 
heated  pavement  beside  the  woman  and  her  child ;  then 
as  gently  and  as  kindly  as  I  could  I  asked  his  name  and 
age. 

"  He  is  four  years  old,"  she  replied,  curtly. 

"  And  his  name  ? " 

"  His  name  is  Thook  "  (Sorrow),  said  the  woman,  turn- 
ing away  her  face. 

"  And  why  hast  thou  given  him  such  a  name  ? " 

■  What  is  that  to  thee,  woman  ? "  was  the  sharp  re- 
joinder. 

After  this  she  relapsed  into  a  grim  silence,  seeming  to 
gaze  intently  into  the  empty  air.  But  at  length  there 
came  a  sob,  and  she  passed  her  bare  arms  slowly  across 
her  eyes.  This  served  as  a  signal  for  the  little  fellow  to 
begin  to  scream  again,  which  he  did  most  lustily;  the 
woman,  after  quieting  him,  turned  to  me,  and  to  my  great 


46  ROMANCE   OF  THE   HAREM. 

surprise  began  to  talk  of  her  own  accord,  with  but  few 
questions  on  my  part. 

"Hast  thou  come  here  to  seek  me,  lady?  Has  the 
Naikodah,  my  husband,  sent  thee  ?  Tell  me,  is  he  well  ? 
Hast  thou  come  to  buy  me  ?  Ah !  lady !  will  thou  not 
buy  me  ?     Will  thou  not  help  me  to  get  my  pardon  ? " 

"  Tell  me  why  thou  art  chained.     What  is  thy  crime  ? " 

This  seemed  a  terrible  question  for  the  poor  woman. 
In  vain  she  attempted  to  speak;  her  lips  moved,  but 
uttered  no  sound,  her  features  quivered,  and  with  one 
convulsive  movement  she  threw  up  her  arms  and  burst 
into  an  agony  of  tears.  She  sobbed  passionately  for  some 
time,  then,  passing  into  a  quieter  mood,  turned  to  me  and 
said,  bitterly :  "  Do  you  want  to  know  of  what  crime  I 
am  accused  ?  It  is  the  crime  of  loving  my  husband  and 
seeking  to  be  with  him." 

"  But  what  induced  you  to  become  a  slave  ? " 

"  I  was  born  a  slave,  lady.  It  was  the  will  of 
Allah." 

"  You  are  a  Mohammedan  then  ? " 

"  My  parents  were  Mohammedans,  slaves  to  the  father 
of  my  mistress,  Chow  Chom  Manda  Ung.  When  we 
were  yet  young,  my  brother  and  I  were  sent  as  slaves  to 
her  daughter,  the  Princess  P'hra  Ong  Brittry." 

"  If  you  can  prove  that  your  parents  were  Mohamme- 
dans, I  can  help  you,  I  think ;  because  all  the  Moham- 
medans here  are  under  British  protection,  and  no  subject 
of  Britain  can  be  a  slave." 

"But,  lady,  my  parents  sold  themselves  to  my  mis- 
tress's grandfather." 

"  That  was  your  father's  debt,  which  your  mother  and 
father  have  paid  over  and  over  again  by  a  life  of  faithful 
servitude.  You  can  insist  upon  your  mistress  accepting 
your  purchase-money." 

"  Insist,"  said  the  woman,  her  large,  dark  eyes  glowing 


BLAVEBY  IN  THE  GRAND  ROYAL  PALACE.      47 

with  tlic  tears  still  glistening  in  them.  "Ymi  do  not 
know  what  you  say.  You  do  not  know  that  my  mistress, 
Chow  Chom  Manila  Ung,  is  mother-in-law  to  the  king, 
and  that  her  daughter,  Princess  P'hra  Ong  Brittry,  is  his 
favorite  hall-sister  and  queen.  My  only  hope  lies  in  a 
special  pardon  from  my  mistress  herself." 

"  And  your  friends,"  said  I,  "  do  they  know  nothing  of 
your  cruel  captivity  ? " 

"Nothing,  indeed.  I  have  no  opportunity  to  speak 
even  to  the  slave-woman  whose  duty  it  is  to  feed  us 
daily.  And  her  lot  is  too  sad  already  for  her  to  be  willing 
to  run  any  great  risk  for  me.  The  secrecy  and  mystery 
of  my  sudden  disappearance  have  been  preserved  so  long 
because  I  am  chained  here.  No  one  comes  here  but  my 
mistress,  and  she  only  visits  this  place  occasionally,  with 
the  most  tried  and  trusted  of  her  slave-women." 

Eleven  o'clock  boomed  like  a  death-knell  through  the 
solitude.  The  woman  laid  herself  down  beside  her  sleep- 
ing boy  to  rest,  apparently  worn  out  with  a  sense  of  her 
misery.  I  placed  my  small  umbrella  over  them ;  and  this 
simple  act  of  kindness  so  touched  the  poor  thing,  that  she 
started  up  suddenly,  and,  before  I  could  prevent  her,  pas- 
sionately kissed  my  soiled  and  dusty  shoes. 

I  was  so  sorry  for  the  unhappy  creature  that  tears  filled 
my  eyes.  "  My  sister,"  said  I,  "  tell  me  your  whole  story, 
and  I  will  lay  it  before  the  king." 

The  woman  started  up  and  adjusted  the  umbrella  over 
the  sleeping  child.  Her  eyes  beamed  with  a  fire  as  if 
from  above,  while  with  wonderful  power,  combined  with 
sweetness  and  delicacy,  she  repeated  her  sad  tale. 

"There  is  sorrow  in  my  heart,  lady,  where  once  there 
was  nothing  but  passive  endurance.  In  my  soul  I  now 
hear  whisperings  of  things  that  are  between  heaven  and 
earth,  yea,  and  beyond  the  heaven  of  heavens,  where  once 
there  was  nothing  but  blind  obedience.     Unconscious  of 


48  ROMANCE  OF  THE  HAREM. 

the  beauty  of  life,  my  heart  was  as  if  frozen  and  inert 
until  I  met  the  Naikodah,  my  husband.  Lady,  as  I  told 
you,  I  and  my  brother  were  born  slaves ;  and  so  faithful 
were  we,  that  my  brother  obtained,  as  proof  of  the  trust 
my  lady  reposed  in  him,  the  charge  of  a  rice  plantation  at 
Ayudia,  while  I  was  promoted  to  be  the  cliief  attendant 
of  the  Princess  P'hra  Ong  Brittry. 

"  One  day  my  mistress  intrusted  to  my  care  a  bag  of 
money,  to  purchase  some  Bombay  silk  of  the  Naikodah 
Ibrahim.  As  it  was  the  first  time  for  many  years  that  I 
had  been  permitted  to  quit  the  gates  of  the  gloomy  pal- 
ace, I  felt  on  that  day  as  if  I  had  come  into  the  world 
anew,  as  if  my  previous  life  had  been  nothing  but  a 
dream ;  and  my  recollections  of  that  day  are  always  pres- 
ent to  my  mind,  and  saying  to  me, '  Eemember  how  happy 
you  were,  once,  be  patient  now/ 

"  Oh !  On  that  day  the  Meinam  splashed  and  rippled 
more  enchantingly,  seemed  broader  and  more  beautiful, 
than  ever !  The  green  leaves  and  buds  seemed  to  have 
burst  forth  all  of  a  sudden.  How  beautifully  green  the 
grass  was,  and  how  clearly  and  joyously  the  birds  on  the 
bushes  and  in  the  trees  poured  forth  their  song,  as  if  pur- 
posely for  me,  while  from  the  distant  plain  across  the 
river  floated  the  aromatic  breath  of  new-blown  flowers, 
filling  me  with  inexpressible  delight !  I  was  silent  with 
a  feeling  of  supreme  happiness.  On  that  day  a  new  light 
had  risen  in  the  east,  a  light  which  was  to  enlighten  and 
to  darken  all  my  coming  life. 

"  We  moored  our  boat  by  the  bank  of  the  river,  and 
made  our  way  to  the  shop  of  the  Naikodah,  which  my 
companions  entered,  while  I  sat  outside  on  the  steps  until 
the  bargain  should  be  completed.  My  companions  and 
the  merchant  could  come  to  no  terms.  I  entered  with 
the  bag  of  money,  hoping  by  the  sight  of  the  silver  to 
induce  him  to  sell  the  silk  for  the  price  offered ;  but  on 


A  SIAMESE    KLGWER  GIRL 


SLAVERY  IN  THE  GRAND    ROYAL    PALAl  &  49 

entering  I  seemed  to  be  dazzled  by  something,  I  knot? 
not  what  The  merchant's  eyes  flashed  upon  me,  as  it 
were,  with  a  look  of  recollection,  and  by  their  expres- 
sion reminded  me  of  some  face  I  had  seen  in  my  in- 
fancy, or,  perhaps,  in  my  dreams.  I  drew  my  faded, 
tattered  scarf  more  tightly  around  my  chest,  and  sat  down 
silent  and  wondering,  not  daring  to  ask  myself  where 
I  had  seen  that  face  before,  or  why  it  produced  such 
an  effect  upon  me. 

"  After  a  great  deal  of  talking  and  bargaining  about  the 
silk,  we  came  away  without  it,  but  the  next  day  went 
again  to  the  merchant  and  purchased  it  at  his  own  price. 
I  was  surprised,  however,  to  find  that,  when  I  paid  him 
the  money,  he  left  five  ticals  in  my  hands.  '  That  is  our 
kumrie '  (perquisite),  said  the  women,  snatching  the  ticals 
out  of  my  hand  and  pocketing  them.  Time  after  time 
we  repeated  our  visits  to  the  merchant,  who  was  con- 
stantly kind  and  respectful  in  his  manner  towards  me. 
He  always  left  five  ticals  for  us.  My  companions  took 
the  money,  but  I  persistently  refused  to  share  in  this 
pitiful  kind  of  profit. 

"  The  merchant  began  to  observe  me  more  closely,  and, 
as  I  thought,  to  take  an  interest  in  me,  and  one  day,  after 
we  had  purchased  some  boxes  of  fragrant  candles  and 
wax-tapers,  and  I  had  paid  him  the  full  price  for  his 
goods,  he  left  twenty  ticals  on  the  floor  beside  me.  My 
companions  called  my  attention  to  the  money;  when  the 
merchant,  observing  my  unwillingness  to  receive  it,  took 
up  fifteen  ticals,  leaving  the  usual  kumrie  of  five  upon 
the  floor,  which  my  companions  picked  up  and  appropri- 
ated. 

"  We  returned,  as  was  our  custom,  by  the  river,  slowly 
paddling  our  little  canoe  down  the  broad  and  beautiful 
stream,  and  enjoying  every  moment  of  our  permitted 
freedom.     I  was  sorely  unwilling  to  return  to  the  palace ; 

3  D 


50  ROMANCE  OF  THE   HAREM. 

I  was  even  tempted  to  plunge  into  the  water  and  make 
good  my  escape ;  but  the  responsibility  of  the  money 
intrusted  to  my  care  made  me  hesitate,  and  the  tranquil 
surface  of  the  Meinam,  broken  only  by  its  circling  ripples, 
helped  to  dissipate  my  wicked  thoughts.  Still  I  indulged, 
though  almost  unconsciously,  the  hope  of  obtaining  my 
freedom  some  day,  without  even  forming  a  thought  as  to 
how  it  could  ever  be  accomplished.  How  or  why  I  began 
to  think  of  getting  free  I  know  not.  I  seemed  to  inhale 
a  longing  for  freedom  with  the  fragrance  of  flowers  wafted 
to  me  on  the  fresh,  invigorating  air ;  every  tree  in  blossom, 
every  wild  flower  clothed  in  its  splendor  of  red  and 
orange,  made  me  dream  as  naturally  of  liberty  as  it  did  of 
love ;  and  I  prayed  for  freedom  for  the  first  time  in  my 
life,  even  as  for  the  first  time  I  felt  the  strength  of  a 
supreme  emotion  overpowering  me." 

Here  the  woman  paused  for  a  few  moments,  and  I  was 
surprised  to  find  that  she  expressed  herself  so  well,  until 
I  remembered  that  the  princesses  of  Siam  make  it  a 
special  point  to  educate  the  slaves  born  in  their  house- 
hold, so  that  in  most  Oriental  accomplishments  they 
generally  surpass  the  common  people  who  may  have  be- 
come slaves  by  purchase.  There  was  something  very 
simple  and  attractive  in  the  way  she  spoke  of  herself,  and 
throughout  our  whole  interview  she  manifested  such 
gentleness  and  resignation  that  she  completely  won  my 
affection  and  pity. 

After  a  while  she  smiled  sadly,  and  said  softly :  "  Ah, 
lady !  we  all  love  God,  and  we  are  all  loved  by  him ; 
yet  he  has  seen  fit  to  make  some  masters  and  others  slaves. 
Strange  as  the  delusion  may  appear  to  you,  who  are  free 
and  perfectly  happy,  while  the  slave  is  not  happy,  the 
more  impossible  seemed  the  realization  of  my  hope  of 
freedom,  the  more  I  thought  of  it  and  longed  for  it. 

"One  day  a  slave-woman  came  to  my  mistress  with 


SLAvr.i;Y  ix  Tin:  GRAND  royal  palace.  51 

some  new  goods  from  the  Naikodah,  and  on  seeing  me  she 
begged  for  B  drink  of  water  and  some  cere  (betel-leaf). 
As  I  handed  her  the  water,  she  said  to  me  in  a  low  tone: 
'Thou  art  a  Moslem;  free  thyself  from  this  bondage  to 
an  unbelieving  race.  Take  from  my  master  the  price  of 
thy  freedom ;  come  out  of  this  Naiwang  (palace)  and  be 
restored  to  the  true  people  of  God.' 

"  I  listened  in  amazement,  fearing  to  break  the  enchant- 
ing spell  of  her  words,  and  hardly  believing  that  I  had 
heard  aright.  She  quitted  me  suddenly,  fearful  of  excit- 
ing suspicion,  and  left  me  in  such  a  disturbed  state  of 
mind  as  I  had  never  before  experienced.  My  thoughts 
flew  hither  and  thither  like  birds  overtaken  by  a  sudden 
storm,  flapping  their  silent  and  despairing  wings  against 
the  closed  and  barred  gates  of  my  prison.  I  found  com- 
fort only  in  trusting  to  the  Great  Heart  above,  and  with 
the  instinct  of  all  sufferers  I  turned  at  once  to  him. 

"  When  I  saw  the  woman  a  second  time  I  embraced 
the  opportunity  to  say  to  her,  '  Sister,  tell  me,  how  shall 
I  obtain  my  purchase-money  ?  Will  not  thy  master  hold 
me  as  his  slave  ? ' 

"  '  He  will  give  thee  the  money,  and  will  never  repent 
having  freed  a  Moslem  and  the  daughter  of  a  believer 
from  slavery.' 

" '  O  thou  angel  of  life ! '  said  I,  clasping  her  to  my 
throbbing  heart,  '  I  am  already  his  slave.' 

"She  released  my  arms  from  around  her  neck,  and, 
taking  some  silver  from  her  scarf,  tied  it  firmly  into  mine 
without  another  word ;  and  1,  fearing  lest  I  should  be  dis- 
covered with  so  much  money  in  my  possession,  came  here 
by  night  and  hid  it  under  this  very  pavement  on  which 
we  are  seated. 

"  Some  weeks  after  we  were  sent  again  to  the  Naiko- 
dah  to  buy  some  sandal-wood  tapers  and  flowers  for  the 
cremation  of  the  young  Princess  P'hra  Ong  O'Dong.     I 


52  ROMANCE  OF  THE  HAREM. 

never  was  so  conscious  of  the  shabbiness  of  my  dress  as 
when  I  entered  the  presence  of  the  good  merchant.  We 
made  our  purchase,  paid  the  money,  and  as  I  rose  to  de- 
part, my  friend  D'hamni,  the  slave-woman  who  had  been 
employed  by  the  Naikodah  to  speak  to  me,  beckoned  me 
to  come  into  an  inner  chamber.  I  was  followed  by  her 
master,  who  addressed  himself  to  me,  and  said, — I  remem- 
ber the  words  so  well,  —  '  L'ore !  thou  art  of  form  so 
beauteous,  and  of  spirit  so  guileless,  thou  hast  awakened 
all  my  love  and  pity.  See,  here  is  the  money  thou  hast 
just  paid  me ;  double  the  price  of  thy  freedom,  and  forget 
not  thy  deliverer/ 

" '  May  Allah  prosper  thee  ! '  said  D'hamni. 

"  I  was  overwhelmed ;  my  astonishment  and  my  grati- 
tude at  his  goodness  knew  no  bounds.  I  tried  to  speak ; 
my  tongue  clave  to  the  roof  of  my  mouth  as  if  held  back 
by  an  evil  genius ;  I  could  not  give  utterance  to  a  single 
word  in  expression  of  my  feelings.  My  heart  heaved, 
my  eyes  glowed,  my  cheeks  burned,  my  blushes  came  and 
went,  showing  the  depth  of  my  emotion,  and  I  burst  into 
tears.  I  returned  to  the  palace,  hid  the  money,  and 
waited  my  opportunity. 

"  Thus  I  lived  in  bondage  within  and  bondage  without. 
Freedom  within  my  grasp  and  slavery  in  my  heart.  ( I 
am  more  a  slave  than  ever,'  said  I  to  myself ;  '  alas !  the 
servitude  of  the  heart,  the  sweet,  feverish  servitude  of 
love,  who  will  ransom  me  from  these  ?  Who  can  buy  me 
freedom  from  these  ?  Henceforth  and  forever  I  am  the 
good  merchant's  slave/ 

"  I  waited  my  time  like  a  lover  lying  in  wait  for  his 
mistress,  like  a  mother  watching  the  return  of  an  only 
child,  and  I  waited  long  and  anxiously,  praying  to  God, 
calling  him  Allah !  calling  him  Buddha !  Father !  Good- 
ness !  Compassion !  praying  for  liberty  only,  praying  only 
for  freedom. 


SLAVERY  IN  THE  GRAND  ROYAL  PALACE.      53 

"  One  day  my  mistress,  Chow  Chom  Manda  Ung,  wits 
so  kind  and  pleasant  to  me  that  I  believed  my  opportu- 
nity had  come.  I  seized  it,  threw  myself  at  her  feet,  and 
said,  'Lady  dear,  he  pitiful  to  thy  child,  hear  but  her 
prayer.  It  is  the  only  desire  of  her  heart,  the  dream  of 
thy  slave's  life.  As  the  thirsty  traveller  beholds  afar  off 
the  everlasting  springs  of  water,  as  the  dying  man  has 
foretastes  of  immortality,  even  so  thy  slave  L'ore  lias, 
through  thy  goodness,  tasted  of  freedom,  and  would  more 
fully  drink  of  the  cup,  if  thou  in  thy  bountiful  goodness 
would  but  let  her  go  free.  Here  is  the  price  of  my  free- 
dom, dear  lady ;  be  pitiful,  and  set  me  free.' 

"  ■  Thou  wert  born  my  slave/  said  my  lady,  '  I  will  take 
no  money  for  thee.' 

" '  Take  double,  lady  dear,  but  0,  let  me  go  ! ' 

■  ■  If  thou  wishest  to  be  married,'  said  my  mistress, '  I 
will  find  thee  a  good  and  able  husband,  and  thou  shalt 
bear  me  children,  even  as  thy  mother  did  before  thee; 
but  I  will  not  let  thee  go  free.' 

*  In  my  despair  I  prayed,  I  entreated,  with  tears  blind- 
ing my  eyes.  I  promised  that  my  children  yet  unborn 
should  be  her  slaves,  if  she  would  only  let  me  go. 

"  It  was  all  in  vain.  I  gathered  up  my  silver  and  re- 
turned to  my  slave's  life,  hopelessly  defeated.  I  soon 
recovered  from  my  disappointment,  however,  because  I 
was  strengthened  by  the  determination  to  escape  at  the 
first  opportunity  that  offered  itself  to  me.  This  enabled 
me  to  bear  my  captivity  bravely.  My  mistress  distrusted 
me  for  a  long  time;  my  companions,  seeing  that  I  had 
fallen  into  disgrace,  pitied  me,  but  I  did  my  best  to  Bhow 
myself  willing,  obedient,  and  cheerful,  until,  when  nearly 
two  whole  years  had  passed  away,  my  mistress  gradually 
took  me  again  into  hei  confidence,  and  at  last  arranged  a 
marriage  for  me  with  Nai  Urn,  one  of  her  favorite  men- 
slaves.    To  all  her  plans  I  offered  not  a  word  of  objection. 


54  ROMANCE  OF  THE  HAREM. 

I  pretended  that  I  was  really  pleased  at  the  prospect  of 
being  free  to  spend  six  months  of  every  year  with  my 
husband. 

"TV  day  before  my  marriage  I  was  sent  to  see  Nai 
Tim's  mother,  with  a  small  present  from  my  mistress. 
Two  strong  women  accompanied  me.  Hidden  in  my  p'ha 
nung  (under-skirt)  was  my  purchase-money.  As  soon  as 
we  entered  my  future  mother-in-law's  house,  I  requested 
permission  to  speak  with  her  alone..  Supposing  that  I 
had  some  private  communication  to  make  to  her  from  my 
mistress,  she  took  me  into  the  back  part  of  the  house,  and 
I  seated  myself  on  the  edge  of  the  bamboo  raft,  which 
kept  her  little  hut  afloat  on  the  Meinam,  rushing  by  so 
strong  and  swift.  "Without  giving  her  time  to  think,  I 
told  her  my  whole  story  from  beginning  to  end,  put  the 
money  into  her  hands,  and  before  the  startled  woman 
could  refuse  or  remonstrate  I  plunged  with  one  sudden 
bound  into  the  bosom  of  the  broad  river.  I  heard  a 
shriek  above  me  as  I  disappeared  under  the  waters  that 
received  me  into  their  cool,  refreshing  depths. 

"  How  desperately  I  swam  through  the  strong  currents, 
coming  up  to  the  surface  from  time  to  time  to  draw  a 
long  breath,  then  diving  back  into  its  protecting  shelter 
again !  Finding  my  strength  failing  me,  I  made  for  the 
opposite  bank,  climbed  its  steep  sides,  and  dried  my 
clothes  in  the  soft,  delicious  breezes  that  came  upon  me 
as  if  just  let  free  from  the  highest  heavens.  Filled  with 
the  inspiration  of  freedom  and  of  love,  I  had  accom- 
plished that  winch  had  been  the  beginning  and  the 
ending  of  all  my  thoughts  for  so  long  a  time.  For  one 
moment  it  seemed  to  me  an  impossibility,  but  on  the  next 
mJ  j°y  was  so  excessive  that  I  stooped  down  and  kissed 
the  earth,  and  then  laughed  outright. 

"  From  day  to  day  my  soul  had  been  slowly  withering 
away,  now  it  blossomed  forth  afresh  as  if  it  had  never 


SLAVERY*  IN  THE  GRAND  ROYAL  PALACE.      55 

known  a  moment  of  sorrow.  My  glad  laughter  came  back 
to  me,  ami  in  very  truth,  lady,  1  shall  never  again  rejoice 
and  sing  in  the  desert  places  of  my  heart,  or  in  the  solitary 
places  of  my  native  land,  as  I  did  on  that  day.  In  my 
extreme  emotion  I  forgot  that  night  was  a  possibility.  I 
could  do  nothing  but  rejoice.  Suddenly  the  sun  set.  The 
night  descended  Darkness  covered  the  earth  as  with  a 
mantle  ;  the  wind  began  to  blow  in  gusts  ;  I  heard  strange 
sounds,  —  sounds  which  seemed  to  come,  not  from  the 
earth,  but  from  some  frightful  realm  beyond.  But  I  knew 
there  were  angels  who  heard  the  cries  of  human  distress. 
1  prayed  to  them  to  come  and  hover  near  me,  and  as  I 
prayed  a  deep  sleep  came  upon  me. 

"  When  I  woke  the  stars  were  in  the  sky,  but  the 
strange  noises  disturbed  me  so  that  I  fell  on  my  knees 
and  cried,  '  0  God  !  where  art  thou  ?  0,  bring  the  day ! 
come  with  thy  swift  chariot  and  bring  the  light !  come 
and  help  thy  unworthy  handmaiden  I '  'To  believe,'  says 
the  prophet,  'is  to  have  the  world  renewed  every  day/ 
So  in  answer  to  my  prayer  came  the  angel  Gibhrayeel  and 
snatched  away  the  dark  mantle  of  P'hra  Kham  (the  god 
of  night),  and  swift  came  P'hra  Athiet  (the  god  of  day), 
scattering  the  shadowy  monsters  of  the  world  of  night, 
and  making  his  glory  fill  my  heart  with  praise,  even  as  it 
filled  my  glad  eyes  with  light. 

"  I  had  been  dazzled  with  the  idea  of  liberty,  I  had 
thought  only  of  getting  free.  But  now  came  the  ques- 
tions, Where  shall  I  go  ?  Who  will  employ  me  ?  And 
the  answer  was  clear  to  ine.  There  was  no  one  in  all  this 
vast  city  to  whom  I  could  turn  but  the  merchant  and  his 
slave-woman  D'hainni,  and  to  them  I  went  It  was  even- 
ing when  I  entered  the  hut  of  the  slave  I  )'hamni,  footsore, 
hungry,  and  weary.  D'hainni  was  overjoyed  to  see  me; 
she  gave  me  food  and  shelter  and  her  best  robe. 

"  Some  days  after  the  good  merchant  came  to  visit  me. 


56  ROMANCE  OF  THE  HAREtf. 

I  felt  dimly  that  the  hardness  of  my  heart  would  be 
complete  if  I  resisted  his  kindness.  To  his  celestial 
tenderness  I  opposed  no  word  of  doubt,  yet  I  could  not 
believe  that  the  rich  merchant  would  marry  an  outcast 
slave  like  me. 

"  One  morning  I  found  robes  of  pure  white  in  my 
humble  shed,  in  which  D'hamni  proceeded  to  array  me. 
After  which  she  brought  me  into  the  presence  of  the 
Moolah  (Mohammedan  priest),  the  merchant,  and  a  few 
trusty  friends. 

"The  Moolah  quietly  put  down  his  hookah  (pipe), 
stood  up,  and,  putting  his  hands  before  his  face,  uttered 
a  short  prayer.  After  tins  he  took  the  end  of  my  saree 
(scarf)  and  bound  it  securely  to  the  end  of  the  merchant's 
angrakah  (coat),  gave  us  water  in  which  had  been  dipped 
the  myrtle  and  jessamine  flower,  placed  a  ring  of  gold  on 
my  finger,  blessed  us,  and  departed.  That  was  our  mar- 
riage ceremony. 

"  During  all  the  days  that  followed  I  moved  about  as 
one  drunk  with  strong  wine ;  I  enjoyed  every  moment ;  I 
thanked  God  for  the  sun,  the  beautiful  summer  days,  the 
radiant  yellow  sky,  the  fresh  dawn,  and  the  dewy  eve. 
Light,  pure  light,  shone  upon  me,  and  filled  my  soul  with 
intense  delight,  and  it  blossomed  out  into  the  perfect 
flower  of  happiness. 

"  One  day,  about  three  or  four  months  after  my  mar- 
riage, as  I  was  seated  on  the  steps  .of  my  home,  I  thought 
I  heard  a  voice  whisper  in  my  ear.  I  had  hardly  time  to 
turn  when  I  was  seized,  gagged,  bound  hand  and  foot,  and 
brought  back  to  this  place.  As  soon  as  I  was  taken  into 
her  presence,  my  mistress  had  me  chained  to  this  post, 
but  caused  me  to  be  released  when  my  time  of  delivery 
approached.  A  month  after  his  birth,"  pointing  to  the 
sleeping  boy,  "  I  was  chained  here  again,  and  my  child 
was  brought  to  me  to  nurse ;  this  was  done  until  he  could 


SLAVERY   IX   THE   GRAND   ROYAL  PALACE.  57 

come  to  me  alone.  But  they  are  not  unkind  ;  when  it  is 
very  wet  the  slave-woman  takes  him  to  sloop  under  the 
shelter  of  her  little  shed. 

"I  could  free  myself  from  these  chains  if  I  would 
promise  never  to  quit  the  palace.  That  I  will  never  do." 
She  said  this  in  a  feeble  and  almost  inarticulate  voice.  It 
was  hex  last  effort  to  speak.  Her  head  drooped  upon  her 
breast  as  if  an  invisible  power  overwhelmed  her  at  a 
blow  j  she  fell  exhausted  upon  the  stones,  her  hands 
clasped,  her  face  buried  in  the  dust. 

It  was  a  strange  sight,  and  possible  only  in  Si  a  m. 
Certainly  great  misfortunes  as  well  as  great  affections 
develop  the  intelligence,  else  how  had  this  slave-woman 
reached  the  elevation  to  which  she  had  evidently  attained  ? 

But  excess  of  sorrow  had  made  her  almost  visionary. 
When  I  tried  to  comfort  her,  she  turned  her  haggard  face 
with  its  worn-out,  weary  look  upon  me,  and  asked  if  she 
had  been  dreaming.  Her  brain  seemed  to  be  in  such  an 
abnormal  yet  frightfully  calm  condition,  that  she  half  be- 
lieved she  was  in  a  dream,  and  that  her  life  was  not  a 
frightful  reality.  It  was  out  of  my  power  to  comfort  her, 
but  I  left  her  with  a  hope  that  grew  brighter  as  I  retraced 
my  steps  out  of  that  weird  place. 

After  some  tiresome  wanderings  I  found  my  way  out  of 
the  place  at  last.  When  I  reached  the  school-room  it  was 
twelve  o'clock,  and  my  pupils  were  waiting. 

In  the  afternoon  of  the  same  day  I  went  t<>  tin-  house 
of  the  Xaikodah  Ibrahim,  and  told  him  that  I  had  seen 
his  wife  and  child.  He  was  much  affected  when  he  heard 
they  were  still  alive,  and  Mas  moved  to  tears  when  I  told 
him  of  their  sad  condition 

That  night  a  deputation  of  Mohammedans,  headed  by 
the  Moolah  Hadjee  Baba,  waited  upon  me;  we  drew  up  a 
petition  to  the  king,  after  which  I  retired,  thankful  that 
I  was  not  a  Siamese  subject. 

3* 


58  ROMANCE   OF   THE  HAREM. 


CHAPTEE    VI. 

KHOON  THOW  APP,  THE   CHIEF   OF  THE  FEMALE  JUDGES. 

NEXT  morning,  as  if  some  invisible  power  were  work- 
ing to  aid  my  plans,  I  was  summoned  early  to  the 
palace.  I  carried  my  petition  and  a  small  book  entitled 
"  Curiosities  of  Science  "  with  me. 

The  king  was  very  gracious,  and  so  pleased  with  the 
book  that  I  took  the  opportunity  of  handing  in  my 
petition.  He  read  it  carefully,  and  then  gave  it  back 
to  me,  saying,  "  Inquiry  shall  be  made  by  me  into  this 
case." 

On  the  day  after  I  received  the  following  little  note 
from  the  king :  — 

Lady  Leonowens  :  —  I  have  liberty  to  do  an  inquiry 
for  the  matter  complained,  to  hear  from  the  Princess  P'hra 
Ong  Brittry,  the  daughter  of  the  Chow  Chom  Manda  Ung, 
who  is  now  absent  from  hence.  The  princess  said  that 
she  knows  nothing  about  the  wife  of  Naikodah,  but  that 
certain  children  were  sent  her  from  her  grandfather  ma- 
ternal, that  they  are  offspring  of  his  maid-servant,  and 
that  these  children  shall  be  in  her  employment.  So  I 
ought  to  see  the  Chow  Chom  Manda  Ung,  and  inquire 
from  herself. 

S.  P.  P.  Maha  Mongkut,  Ex. 

His  Majesty  was  as  good  as  his  word,  and  when  the 
Chow  Chom  Manda  Ung  returned,  he  ordered  the  chief 
of  the  female  judges  of  the  palace,  her  ladyship,  Khoon 
Thow  App,  to  investigate  the  matter. 

Khoon  Thow  App  was  a  tall,  stout,  dark  woman,  with 


K1100N   TIIOW   AIT.  59 

soft  eyes,  but  rather  a  heavy  face,  her  only  beauty  being  in 
her  hands  and  arms,  which  were  remarkably  well  formed 
She  was  religious  and  scrupulously  just,  had  a  serious  and 
concentrated  bearing.  Everything  she  said  or  did  was 
studied,  not  for  effect,  but  from  discretion.  A  certain  air 
of  preoccupation  was  natural  to  her.  She  knew  every- 
thing that  took  place  in  the  harem,  and  concealed  every- 
thing within  her  own  breast.  By  dint  of  attention  and 
penetration  she  had  attained  to  her  high  office,  and  she 
retained  it  by  virtue  of  her  supreme  but  unassuming  fit- 
ness for  the  position.  She  was  like  a  deaf  person  whose 
sight  is  quickened,  and  like  one  blind  whose  sense  of 
hearing  is  intensified.  That  hideous  symbolical  Sphinx, 
with  a  sword  drawn  through  her  mouth,  babbled  all  her 
secrets  and  sorrows  in  her  ear.  She  inspired  confidence, 
and  she  never  decided  a  case  in  private.  She  lived  alone, 
in  a  small  house  at  the  end  of  the  street,  with  only  four 
faithful  female  slaves.  The  rest  she  had  freed.  It  was 
before  this  woman  that,  by  order  of  the  king,  I  brought 
my  complaint  in  behalf  of  L'ore;  she  raised  her  eyes 
from  her  book,  or  rather  roll,  and  said,  "Ah!  it  is  you, 
mam.     I  wish  to  speak  to  you." 

"  And  for  my  part,"  said  I,  with  a  boldness  at  which  I 
was  myself  astonished,  "  I  have  something  to  say  to  your 
ladyship." 

"  0,  I  know  that  you  have  a  communication  to  make, 
which  has  already  been  laid  before  his  Majesty.  Your 
petition  is  granted." 

"How !"  said  I,  "is  L'ore  really  free  to  leave  the  pal- 
ace ? " 

"0  no;  but  his  Majesty's  letter  is  of  such  a  charac- 
ter that  we  have  the  power  to  proceed  in  this  matter 
against  the  Chow  Chom  Man. la  Tug.  Though  we  are 
said  to  have  the  right  to  compel  any  woman  in  the  palace 
to  come  before  us,  these  great  ladies  will  not  appear  per- 


60  ROMANCE  OF  THE  HAREM. 

sonally,  but  send  all  manner  of  frivolous  excuses,  unless 
summoned  by  a  royal  mandate  such  as  this." 

She  then  turned  to  one  of  the  female  sheriffs,  and  de- 
spatched her  for  the  Chow  Chom  Manda  Ung,  P'hra  Ong 
Brittry,  and  the  slave-woman  L'ore. 

After  a  delay  of  nearly  two  hours,  Chow  Chom  Manda 
Ung  and  her  daughter,  the  Princess  P'hra  Ong  Brittry, 
made  their  appearance,  accompanied  by  an  immense 
retinue  of  female  slaves,  bearing  a  host  of  luxurious 
appendages  for  their  royal  mistresses'  comfort  during  the 
trial,  with  the  sheriff  bending  low,  and  following  this 
grand  procession  at  a  respectful  distance. 

The  great  ladies  took  their  places  on  the  velvet  cushions 
placed  for  them  by  their  slaves,  with  an  air  of  authority 
and  rebellion  combined,  as  if  to  say,  "  Who  is  there  here 
to  constrain  us  ? " 

The  chief  judge  adjusted  her  spectacles,  and  as  she 
looked  fixedly  at  the  great  ladies  she  asked,  "  Where  is  the 
slave-woman  L'ore  ? " 

The  old  dowager  cast  a  malicious  glance  at  the  judge ; 
but  there  was  still  the  same  silence,  the  same  air  of  defi- 
ance of  all  authority. 

All  round  the  open  sala,  or  hall,  was  collected  a  ragged 
rabble  of  slave  women  and  children,  crouching  in  all  sorts 
of  attitudes  and  all  sorts  of  costumes,  but  with  eyes  fixed 
on  the  chief  judge  in  startled  astonishment  and  wonder 
at  her  calm,  immovable  countenance.  Superciliousness 
and  apparent  contempt  prevailed  everywhere,  yet  in  the 
midst  of  all  the  consciousness  of  an  austere  and  august 
presence  was  evident ;  for  not  one  of  those  slave-women, 
lowly,  untaught,  and  half  clad  as  they  were,  but  felt  that 
in  the  heart  of  that  dark,  stern  woman  before  them  there 
was  as  great  a  respect  for  the  rights  of  the  meanest 
among  them  as  for  those  of  the  queen  dowager  herself. 

The  chief  judge  then  read  aloud  in  a  clear  voice  the 


KHOON  TIIOW  ATP.  Gl 

letter  she  had  received  from  the  king,  and,  when.it  was 
finished,  the  dowager  and  her  daughter  saluted  the  letter 
by  prostrating  themselves  three  times  before  it. 

Then  the  judge  inquired  if  the  august  ladies  had  aught 
to  say  why  the  slave-woman  Lore  should  not  have  been 
emancipated  when  she  offered  to  pay  the  full  price  of  her 
freedom. 

The  attention  of  all  was  excited  to  the  highest  degree ; 
every  eye  concentrated  itself  on  the  queen  dowager. 

She  spoke  with  difficulty,  and  answered  with  some 
embarrassment,  but  from  head  to  foot  her  whole  person 
defied  the  judge. 

"  And  what  if  every  slave  in  my  service  should  bring 
me  the  price  of  her  freedom  ? " 

All  eyes  turned  again  to  the  judge,  seated  so  calmly 
there  on  her  little  strip  of  matting ;  every  ear  was  strained 
to  catch  her  reply. 

"  Then,  lady,  thou  wouldst  be  bound  to  free  every  one 
of  them." 

"  And  serve  myself  ? " 

"  Even  so,  my  august  mistress,"  said  the  judge,  bowing  low. 

The  dowager  turned  very  pale  and  trembled  slightly 

as  the  judge  declared  that  L'ore  was  no  longer  the  slave 

of  the  Chow  Chom  Manda  Ung,  but  the  property  of  the 

Crue  Yai  (royal  teacher). 

"  Let  her  purchase-money  be  paid  down,"  said  the  dow- 
ager, angrily,  "  and  she  is  freed  forever  from  my  service." 
The  judge  then  turned  to  me,  and  said,  "  You  are  now 
the  mistress  of  L'ore.  I  will  have  the  papers  made  out. 
Bring  hither  the  money,  forty  ticals,  and  all  shall  be 
settled." 

^  I  thanked  the  judge,  bowed  to  the  great  ladies,  who 
simply  ignored  my  existence,  and  returned  perfectly  hap- 
py for  once  in  my  life  to  my  home  in  Bangkok.  Next 
day,  after  school,  I  presented  myself  at  the  court-house. 


62  ROMANCE   OF  THE  HAREM. 

Only  three  of  the  female  judges  were  present,  with  some 
of  the  p'ha  khooms  (sheriffs).  Khoon  Thow  App  handed 
me  the  dekah,  or  free  paper,  and  bade  one  of  the  p'ha 
khooms  go  with  me  to  see  the  money  paid  and  L'ore 
liberated. 

Never  did  my  feet  move  so  swiftly  as  when  I  threaded 
once  more  the  narrow  alley,  and  my  heart  beat  quickly 
as  I  pushed  open  the  ponderous  brass  door. 

There  was  L'ore,  chained  as  before.  In  the  piazza  sat 
the  Princess  P'hra  Ong  Brittry  and  her  mother,  surrounded 
by  their  sympathizing  women. 

The  p'ha  khoom  was  so  timid  and  hesitating,  that  I  ad- 
vanced and  laid  the  money  before  the  great  ladies. 

The  queen  dowager  dashed  the  money  away  and  sent 
it  rolling  hither  and  thither  on  the  pavement,  but  gave 
orders  at  the  same  time  to  release  L'ore  and  let  her  go. 

This  was  done  by  a  female  blacksmith,  a  dark,  heavy, 
ponderous-looking  woman,  who  filed  the  rivet  asunder. 

In  the  mean  time  a  crowd  had  collected  in  this  solitary 
place,  chiefly  ladies  of  the  harem,  with  some  few  slaves. 

So  L'ore  was  free  at  last ;  but  what  was  my  amazement 
to  find,  that  she  refused  to  move ;  she  persistently  folded 
her  hands  and  remained  prostrate  before  her  royal 
persecutors  as  if  rooted  to  the  spot.  I  was  troubled.  I 
turned  to  consult  the  p'ha  khoom,  but  she  did  not  dare  to 
advise  me,  when  one  of  the  ladies  —  a  mother,  with  a 
babe  in  her  arms  —  whispered  in  my  ear,  "They  have 
taken  away  the  child." 

Alas  !  I  had  forgotten  the  child. 

The  faces  of  the  crowd  were  marked  with  sympathy 
and  sadness ;  they  exchanged  glances,  and  the  same 
woman  whispered  to  me,  "  Go  back,  go  back,  and  demand 
to  buy  the  child."  I  turned  away  sorrowfully,  hastened 
to  Khoon  Thow  App,  and  stated  my  case.  She  opened  a 
box,  drew  out  a  dark  roll,  and  set  out  with  me. 


kiioon  tiiow  Arr.  G3 

Tlie  scene  was  just  as  I  had  left  it.  There  sat  the  au- 
gust ladies,  holding  small  jewelled  hand-mirrors,  and 
creaming  their  lips  with  the  most  sublime  air  of  indiffer- 
ence L'ore  still  lay  prostrate  before  them,  her  face  hid- 
den on  the  pavement.  The  crowd  of  women  pressed 
anxiously  in,  and  all  eyes  were  strained  towards  the 
judge.  She  bowed  before  the  ladies,  opened  the  dark 
roll,  and  read  the  law :  "  If  any  woman  have  children 
during  her  bondage,  they  shall  be  slaves  also,  and  she  is 
bound  to  pay  for  their  freedom  as  well  as  her  own.  The 
price  of  an  infant  in  arms  is  one  tical,  and  for  every  year 
of  his  or  her  life  shall  be  paid  one  tical."  This  declara- 
tion in  terms  so  precise  appeared  to  produce  a  strong  im- 
pression on  the  crowd,  and  none  whatever  on  the  royal 
ladies.  Ever  so  many  betel-boxes  were  opened,  and  the 
price  of  the  child  pressed  upon  me. 

I  took  four  ticals  and  laid  them  down  before  the  ladies. 
The  judge,  seeing  that  nothing  was  done  to  bring  the  child 
to  the  prostrate  mother,  despatched  one  of  the  p'ha 
khooms  for  the  boy.  In  half  an  hour  he  was  in  his 
mother's  arms.  She  did  not  start  with  surprise  or  joy, 
but  turned  up  to  heaven  a  face  that  was  joy  itself.  Both 
mother  and  child  bowed  before  the  great  ladies.  Then 
L'ore  made  strenuous  efforts  to  stand  up  and  walk,  and, 
failing,  began  to  laugh  at  her  own  awkwardness,  as  she 
limped  and  hobbled  along,  borne  away  by  the  exulting 
crowd,  headed  by  the  judge.  Even  this  did  not  diminish 
her  happiness.  With  her  face  pressed  close  to  her  boy's, 
she  continued  to  talk  to  herself  and  to  him,  "  How  hap- 
py we  shall  be!  We,  too,  have  a  little  garden  in  thy 
father's  house.  My  Thook  will  play  in  the  garden;  he 
will  chase  the  butterflies  in  the  grass,  and  I  will  watch 
him  all  the  day  long,"  etc. 

The  keepers  of  the  gates  handed  flowers  to  the  boy, 
saying,  "P'hoodh  tho,  dee  chai  nak  nah,  dee  chai  nak 


64  ROMANCE   OF  THE  HAEEM. 

nan "  (pitiful  Buddha !  we  are  very  glad  at  heart,  very, 
very  glad). 

The  news  had  spread,  and,  before  we  reached  the  river, 
hosts  of  Malays,  Mohammedans,  and  Siamese,  with  some 
few  Chinese,  had  loosened  their  cumberbunds  (scarfs)  and 
converted  them  into  flags. 

Thus,  with  the  many-colored  flags  flying,  the  men, 
women,  and  children  running  and  shouting  along  the 
banks  of  the  Meinam,  spectators  crowding  into  the  fronts 
of  their  floating  houses,  L'ore  and  her  boy  sailed  down 
the  river  and  reached  their  home. 

The  next  day  her  husband,  Naikodah  Ibrahim,  refunded 
the  money  paid  for  his  wife  and  child,  whose  name  was 
changed  from  Thook  (Sorrow)  to  Urbana  (the  Free). 


THE   KAJI'OOT   AND   HLS   DAUGHTER  G5 


CHAPTEE  VII. 

THE  RAJTOOT  AND   HIS   DAUGHTER. 

BANGKOK  is  full  of  people.  Every  day  crowds  of 
men  and  boys  are  pouring  into  the  great  metropolis 
from  all  parts  of  the  country  to  have  their  names  enrolled 
on  the  books  of  the  lords  and  dukes  to  whom  they  belong. 

There  are  no  railroads,  no  steamboats,  so  the  vast  com- 
panies of  serfs  travel  together,  —  the  rich  by  means  of 
their  boats  and  gondolas,  and  the  poor  on  foot,  following 
the  course  of  the  great  river  Meinam. 

Sometimes  caravans  of  whole  tribes  may  be  seen  en- 
camped during  the  intense  noonday  heat  by  the  banks  of 
the  stream,  under  the  shade  of  some  neighboring  trees. 
These  weary  marches  are  always  commenced  at  sunset, 
and  continued  till  noon  of  the  next  day,  when  the  over- 
powering heat  forces  man  and  beast  under  shelter. 

There  existed  in  Siam  under  the  late  king  a  mixed 
system  of  slavery,  in  part  resembling  the  old  system  of 
English  feudal  service,  in  part  the  former  serfdom  of  Eus- 
sia,  and  again  in  part  the  peonage  of  Mexico. 

In  the  enrolment,  called  Sak,  an  institution  peculiar 
to  the  country,  every  man  is  obliged  to  receive  an  indeli- 
ble mark  on  his  arm  or  side,  denoting  the  chief  to  whom 
he  belongs. 

The  process  is  exactly  like  tattooing.  The  name  of  the 
chief  is  pricked  into  the  skin  with  a  long  slender  steel 
having  a  lancet-shaped  point,  just  deep  enough  to  draw  a 
little  blood;  after  which  the  bile  of  peacock  mixed  with 
Chinese  ink  is  rubbed  over  the  scarification. 

This  leaves  an  indelible  mark. 


66  ROMANCE   OF  THE  HAREM. 

All  the  male  children  of  those  so  marked  are  obliged 
at  the  age  of  fourteen  to  appear  in  person  to  have  their 
names  enrolled  on  their  master's  books,  and  themselves 
branded  on  their  arms. 

The  king's  men,  that  is,  those  who  have  to  attend  on 
royalty  as  soldiers,  guards,  or  in  any  other  capacity,  are 
marked  on  the  side,  a  little  below  the  armpit,  to  distin- 
guish them  from  the  other  serfs  of  the  princes,  dukes,  or 
lords  of  the  realm. 

Among  the  vast  crowds  who  were  pouring  through  the 
many  gates  and  avenues  into  the  city  in  July,  1862,  was 
seen  a  stately  old  Eajpoot,  weary  and  travel-stained,  lead- 
ing a  low-sized,  shaggy  pony  on  which  was  seated  a  close- 
ly veiled  figure  of  a  young  woman.  A  stranger  could  not 
but  observe  the  proud,  forbidding  look  of  the  old  man  as  he 
urged  and  stimulated  his  weary  beast  through  the  crowd. 

Behind  the  veiled  figure  were  two  leathern  bags  which 
contained  some  wearing  apparel  and  a  supply  of  provis- 
ions to  serve  them  during  their  stay  in  the  capital. 

There  are  no  such  places  as  inns  or  caravansaries  to 
lodge  the  multitude  who  are  thus  forced  into  Bangkok 
every  year.  Those  who  have  boats  live  in  them  on  the 
river  and  its  numerous  canals,  others  take  refuge  in  the 
Buddhist  monasteries,  while  the  poorer  classes  have  the 
bare  earth,  dry  or  wet  as  the  weather  may  be,  for  their 
couch. 

It  was  not  until  they  were  quite  exhausted,  and  could 
no  longer  maintain  the  pace  at  which  they  had  been 
making  their  way  through  the  crowded  city,  that  the  old 
man  began  to  look  around  him  for  some  spot  where  they 
could  encamp.  The  place  at  which  they  had  arrived 
was  the  southern  gate  of  the  citadel,  called  Patoo  Song 
Khai  (Gate  of  Commerce).  Here  they  came  upon  the 
haunts  of  commerce  and  traffic,  —  market  and  trades- 
women were  hurrying  to  and  from  the  inner  city.    All 


THE  RAJPOOT  AND   HIS   DAUGHTER.  07 

around  was  noise  and  confusion,  and  here,  beneath  the 
shadow  of  a  projecting  porch  and  wall,  the  old  man  sud- 
denly halted,  and,  lifting  the  girl  lightly  to  the  ground, 
said  in  a  low,  deep,  and  not  unmusical  voice,  "  Let  us 
abide  here,  my  child;  and  though  we  can  call  nothing 
our  own,  we  shall  live  like  the  bright  gods,  feeding  on 
happiness." 

There  was  something  tender  in  the  way  he  said  this, 
hut  the  girl  did  not  appear  to  heed  him.  Looking  about 
her  with  a  startled  and  bewildered  gaze,  she  seemed  to  be 
haunted  by  apprehensions  of  being  led  captive  to  some 
gloomy  place,  where  she  would  be  chained  and  scourged, 
and.  worse  than  all,  -where  she  would  never  see  her  father 
but  through  iron  gratings  and  bars.  Her  terrors  at  length 
became  so  real  that  she  wrapped  her  faded  "saree"  more 
closely  around  her,  and  burst  into  tears. 

"  Art  thou  afraid  ? "  inquired  the  old  man.  "  Why, 
thou  hast  less  to  fear  here  by  my  side  than  if  I  had  left 
thee  behind  in  the  mountains  of  Prabat." 

He  then  proceeded  to  unpack  his  beast,  while  the  girl 
timidly  made  ready  to  cook  their  evening  meal  of  boiled 
rice  and  fish. 

There  was  a  certain  sense  of  safety  in  the  shadow  of 
the  grand  royal  palace  that  seemed  to  restore  the  girl  to 
a  Stat.-  of  moderate  tranquillity,  and  the  Amazons  who 
loitered  round  the  gate  watched  the  travellers  with  some 
•■  of  interest,  which  arose  partly  from  curiosity  and 
partly  from  want  of  something  better  to  do.  The  old 
man  seemed  a  sombre  sort  of  being  to  them  ;  but  the  girl 
\\as  an  object  of  wonder  and  delight,  as,  though  she  replied 
to  her  father  in  a  language  foreign  t<>  the  listeners,  she  fre- 
quently intermingled  her  remarks  with  the  Siamese  word 
"eha"  (dear),  wh i.l  1  pleased  the  stout-hearted  guardians 
of  the  gate  so  much  that  they  made  no  objections  to 
the  travellers'  resting  tl 


68  ROMANCE   OF  THE  HAREM. 

In  such  a  spot  as  this  there  was,  indeed,  more  of  dan- 
ger than  of  safety  both  for  father  and  child,  if  they  could 
but  have  known  it;  but  the  poorer  class  of  strangers 
clung  to  the  name  of  the  great  king  Maha  Mongkut 
as  a  babe  clings  to  its  mother's  arms,  and  the  old  man 
felt  as  safe  as  if  lodged  in  an  impregnable  castle,  sur- 
rounded by  a  million  of  guardian  angels ;  while  the  girl, 
gathering  courage  from  the  satisfaction  that  settled  on  her 
father's  face,  began  to  take  note  of  what  was  passing 
around  her,  and  her  fears  soon  gave  place  to  a  variety 
of  happy  thoughts. 

The  freshness  of  the  evening  air,  the  song  of  the  merry 
birds,  the  beauty  of  the  wild  flowers  that  grew  among 
the  tangled  bushes  on  the  banks  of  the  river,  and,  above 
all,  the  constant  stream  of  richly  gilded  boats  and  gondo- 
las that  glided  past  on  the  limpid  waters,  now  glittering 
in  the  roseate  hues  of  the  setting  sun,  soothed  and  glad- 
dened, as  with  tender,  loving  words,  the  heart  of  the 
lonely  mountain  girL 

At  sunset  the  Amazons  shut  the  gates  and  disappeared. 
The  old  man  unrolled  a  small  carpet,  covered  himself 
with  a  worn-out  old  cloth,  and,  taking  his  daughter  under 
his  stalwart  arm,  he  laid  himself  down  to  rest  beneath 
the  canopy  of  the  wide  sky.  The  girl,  from  her  place 
near  the  corner  made  by  the  gate  and  the  wall,  could  only 
see  one  star  overhead,  and  the  shadow  in  which  she  slept 
seemed  so  dark  that  her  heart  sunk  within  her,  as  she 
silently  prayed  to  the  angel  of  the  sky  not  to  desert  them. 
But,  tired  and  weary,  she  soon  slept  as  soundly  as  her 
father. 

Meanwhile  the  city  of  the  "  Invincible  and  Beautiful 
Archangel "  slumbered,  and  "  the  great  stars  globed  them- 
selves in  heaven,"  and  seemed  to  bridge  the  gulf  that 
separates  the  infinite  from  the  finite  with  their  tender, 
loving  light.     Who  can  say  but  that  the  fond  spirit  of  a 


THE   RAJPOOT  AND   HIS   DAUGHTER.  GO 

dead  wife  and  mother  beamed  in  love  and  pity  over  the 
father  and  child  sleeping  thus  alone  in  the  heart  of  a  great 
city  I  for  the  girl  dreamed  a  dream  which  seemed  a 
warning  to  her.  Suddenly  she  started  in  her  sleep,  and 
saw  in  the  distance  a  company  of  men  armed  with  swords 
and  spears,  tarrying  lanterns  in  their  hands,  marching 
slowly  towards  the  spot  where  they  lay. 

These  were  the  night-guards  patrolling  outside  the 
walls  of  the  inner  city. 

While  she  looked  they  seemed  to  expand.  They  were 
now  colossal,  —  monsters  that  filled  the  earth,  air,  and 
sky.  Full  of  dismay,  she  clung  closer  to  the  side  of  her 
father.  Their  heavy  tramp  came  nearer,  and  she  could 
hear  them  stop.  How  desperately  her  heart  beat  under 
the  covering]  What  if  they  should  find  her  out!  The 
captain  of  the  guards  approached,  passed  his  lantern 
slowly  over  the  face  of  the  old  man,  and  perceiving  that 
he  was  one  of  the  many  strangers  called  into  the  city  at 
this  time  of  the  year,  he  and  his  company  went  on  their 
rounds. 

No  sooner  had  the  glimmer  of  their  lanterns  vanished 
in  the  distance,  than  the  girl  sprang  up,  and,  casting  a  can- 
dons  glance  all  round,  drew  out  in  the  darkness  a  small 
image  of  India,  which  she  wore  within  her  vest, 
and  placed  it  at  her  lather's  head;  then,  loosening  a  silk 
cord  from  her  neck,  to  which  was  attached  a  silver  ring 
inscribed  with  the  mystic  triform  used  by  the  Hindoo 
women,  she  proceeded  to  implore  the  protection  of  the 
and  to  describe  several  weird  circles  and  waves  over 
herself  and  her  father. 

This  done  she  slept  sweetly,  feeling  in  the  presence  of 
that  brass  image  a  senseof  security  that  many  a  Christian 
might  have  envied. 

Just  at  this  moment,  one  of  the  guards  in  passing  on 
the  other  side  of  the  city  remarked  that  they  ought  to 


70  ROMANCE  OF  THE  HAREM. 

have  aroused  the  old  khaik  (foreigner)  and  exacted  a  toll 
from  him  for  taking  up  his  quarters  so  near  the  walls  of 
the  royal  palace. 

"That  very  thought  has  just  crossed  my  mind,"  said 
the  captain,  "  and  mine,  and  mine,"  echoed  a  number  of 
voices.  "It  is  hardly  midnight  yet;  let  us  turn  back 
and  see  what  we  can  squeeze  out  of  the  old  fellow." 

No  sooner  said  than  done.  The  chief  led  the  way,  and 
the  whole  company  rapidly  retraced  their  steps  to  where 
the  travellers  slept. 

It  would  be  difficult  to  reproduce  the  picture  that  must 
have  presented  itself  to  the  captain  of  the  night-guards, 
who,  after  having  stationed  his  men  at  a  little  distance, 
advanced  noiselessly,  approached  the  old  man,  and  drew 
off  lightly  the  covering  that  wrapped  the  sleeper,  in  order 
to  make  some  guess  from  his  dress  and  appearance  as  to 
the  amount  of  money  they  might  demand  from  him. 

The  eye  turns  instinctively  to  the  faintest  glimmer  of 
light.  So  the  light  reflected  from  the  calm  face  of  the 
mysteriously  beautiful  dreamer  as  she  lay  beside  her 
father,  her  head  resting  on  his  arm,  and  her  face  turned 
mutely  up  to  the  dark  sky,  staggered  the  captain,  who 
started  back  as  if  he  had  received  a  sudden  blow,  or  as  if 
some  unexpected  event  had  forced  him  into  the  presence 
of  a  supernatural  being,  while  the  brazen  image  of  Indra 
gleamed  with  a  lurid  brightness  that  reddened  the  pale 
atmosphere  around,  as  if  in  the  vicinity  of  some  confla- 
gration. 

Buddhist  as  he  was,  he  had  a  sort  of  ancestral  rever- 
ence for  the  gods  of  the  Hindoos.  He  also  believed  in 
the  ancient  tradition  that  no  one  could  injure  the  inno- 
cent. The  shadow  of  the  shade  grew  darker,  and  he 
thought  the  eyes  of  the  god  were  fixed  intently  upon 
him.  All  his  unrighteous  desires  quelled,  he  stood  trans- 
fixed reverently  to  the  spot.     A  serious  smile,  almost 


T1IE  RAJPOOT  AND   HIS   DAUGHTER.  71 

stern  in  its  expression,  passed  over  the  girl's  face,  as  he 
stood  contemplating  her.  That  seemingly  slumbering 
statue  was  conscious  of  an  intruder,  and  she  quietly 
opened  her  eyes  on  him. 

The  captain's  lantern  lighted  up  his  face,  and,  stout- 
hearted, fearless  man  that  he  was,  he  trembled  as  he  met 
that  calm,  inquiring  look.  But  before  he  could  retire  or 
bring  himself  to  speak,  the  girl  uttered  a  sudden  cry  of 
terror,  so  pathetic  and  terrible  that  the  old  man  sprang  to 
his  feet,  and  the  guards,  who  heard  it  in  the  distance,  felt 
their  blood  run  cold  with  horror  and  dismay. 

There  was  a  moment  of  hesitation  as  the  old  Rajpoot 
confronted  the  guardsman  face  to  face.  The  next  instant 
the  lantern  was  dashed  from  his  trembling  hand,  and  he 
lay  prostrate  on  the  ground,  while  his  enemy  grappled  at 
his  throat  with  the  fury  of  a  wild  beast.  The  remainder 
of  the  guards  rushed  to  the  scene  of  conflict,  but  even 
they  stood  confounded  for  a  second  or  two  at  the  sight  of 
the  strange,  terrified  girl.  They  soon  recovered  from  their 
astonishment,  however,  and  proceeded  to  capture  the  old 
man,  wdien  Smayatee  sprang  to  her  feet  at  once,  like  some 
spectre  rising  from  the  ground,  and;  pushing  back  the  sol- 
with  all  her  might,  clasped  her  father  round  the 
neck.  Thus  clinging  to  him,  she  turned  a  face  of  defiance 
mi  the  guardsmen  of  the  king.  The  aspect  of  the  girl, 
who  thought  to  restrain  by  an  electric  glance  an  armed 
.  excited  such  derision  in  the  breasts  of  the  soldiers, 
that  they  rudely  tore  her  from  her  father,  bound  her  with 
the  silken  bridle-reins  that  had  served  for  her  pony,  and 
carried  them  both  off  to  separate  cells,  while  a  party  of 
them  remained  behind  to  restore  their  fallen  chief. 


72  ROMANCE   OF   THE   HAREM. 


CHAPTEE   VIII. 

AMONG  THE  HILLS   OF   ORISSA. 

BEFOEE  proceeding  further,  it  will  not  be  amiss  to 
give  the  reader  some  account  of  this  Eajpoot  and 
his  daughter.  And  that  he  may  better  understand  the 
personal  anecdotes  of  bravery,  honest  zeal,  and  devoted- 
ness  that  distinguished  him  in  life,  I  must  turn  to  the 
still  broader  and  deeper  historical  incidents  which  are  the 
marked  characteristics  of  the  race  to  which  he  belonged. 
I  do  not  undertake  to  treat  of  tins  portion  of  India  at 
large,  but  only  to  look  at  the  small  corner  of  it  in  which 
Rama  the  Eajpoot  was  born. 

In  the  district  of  Orissa  stands  on  a  cluster  of  hills,  in 
the  midst  of  an  arid  and  undulating  plateau,  the  city  of 
Megara,  composed  for  the  most  part  of  houses  of  mean 
aspect,  with  only  a  few  handsome  mansions  and  stately 
edifices  to  relieve  their  monotonous  insignificance,  possess- 
ing few  fine  trees  large  enough  to  afford  shade,  with  the 
exception  of  the  sacred  groves  dedicated  to  the  earth-god- 
dess Davee  and  the  sun-god  Dhupya;  and  with  water 
barely  sufficient  to  quench  the  excessive  thirst  of  its 
parched  inhabitants,  alternately  swept  by  piercing  blasts 
and  scorched  by  intense  heats,  Megara  would  certainly 
present  but  few  attractions  to  the  traveller  but  for  the 
mysterious  reverence  which  has  rested  ever  since  the  time 
of  Alexander  over  the  illimitable  plains  of  Hindostan. 
Tragic  and  terrible  are  the  memories  that  poetry  has 
woven  about  this  land  of  undefined  distances  and  nearly 
fabulous  magnificence,  where  men  adopt,  from  father  to 
son,  the  professions  of  murderers,  highwaymen,  robbers, 


AMONG  THE  HILLS   OF  ORISSA.  73 

soldiers,  warriors,  and  priests,  where  each  man  lives  as 

if  surrounded  by  internal  and  external  enemies,  and  ex- 
pects from  every  circling  point  of  the  horizon  a  foci  nan 
instead  of  a  friend. 

From  the  remotest  times  there  has  been  a  ceaseless 
march  of  tribes  into  this  vast  peninsula,  from  which  there 
is  no  outlet.  Pouring  across  the  Indus  or  straggling  down 
through  the  passes  of  the  Himalaya,  each  wave  of  immi- 
gration pushed  its  predecessors  farther  into  the  country. 
Thus  the  Aryan  nations  followed  in  their  turn,  at  the 
same  time  reacting  powerfully  on  the  creeds  and  usages 
of  the  primitive  people.  But  various  remains  of  the  ear- 
lier and  rude  aboriginal  tribes  are  still  found  here  among 
the  hilly  regions  and  woody  fastnesses  of  the  peninsula. 
Many  of  them  are  quite  distinct  from  one  another,  evi- 
dently belonging  to  different  eras  of  an  indefinitely  re- 
mote and  abysmal  past. 

The  Eajpoots  are  the  most  remarkable  of  these  abo- 
riginal tribes,  and  they  are  described  as  a  noble  race,  tall 
and  athletic,  with  symmetric  features,  half-way  between 
the  Roman  and  Jewish  types,  large  eyed,  and  with  fine 
long  hair  falling  in  natural  locks  upon  their  shoulders; 
high-bred,  though  with  the  decline  of  their  country  under 
British  rule  the  decline  of  their  character  has  kept  pace. 
Revolutions  have  done  their  work  upon  them,  if,  indeed, 
th«'  word  "  revolution"  may  be  applied  to  the  insurrections 
and  mutinies  that  have  kept  this  portion  of  India  in  a 
stati-  of  petty  warfai  •  for  the  last  three  hundred  years. 

The  comparatively  treeless  character  of  the  hills  where 
they  dwell  appears  to  indicate  that,  In  former  times,  large 
spaces  had  1  i  □  laid  under  cultivation,  whereas  at  present 
they  lead  a  savage  life  as  freebooters  and  robbers. 

Around  these  desolate  hills  and  valleys  cluster  a  variety 
of  tribes  and  races,  of  diverse  tongues  and  customs,  creeds 
and  religions,  —  worshippers  of  Mohammed  and  of  the 


74  ROMANCE   OF  THE  HAREM. 

Buddha,  followers  of  Brahma  and  of  Indra,  of  Vishnu 
and  Siva,  of  the  many-breasted  and  teeming  Davee,  and 
the  triple-headed  and  triple-bodied  Dhupya.  Over  all 
these  different  peoples  the  Ptajpoot,  or  warrior  caste,  has 
held  for  centuries  an  undisputed  sway.  Among  all  these 
tribes  the  "  Meriah  "  sacrifice  prevails,  as  the  only  means 
of  propitiating  the  earth-goddess. 

The  victims  for  these  yearly  sacrifices  are  furnished  by 
a  regular  class  of  procurers,  who  either  supply  them  to 
order  or  raise  them  on  speculation.  They  are  bought  from 
their  parents  in  hard  famine  times,  or  they  are  kidnapped 
on  the  plains.  Devoted  often  in  their  childhood  to  the 
earth-goddess  Davee,  they  are  suffered  to  grow  up  as  con- 
secrated privileged  beings,  to  marry,  to  hold  lands  and 
flocks  and  herds  and  other  worldly  goods,  and  are  cher- 
ished and  beloved  by  the  community  for  whom  they  are 
willing  to  be  offered  up  to  serve  as  mediator  and  friend  in 
the  shadowy  world  beyond  the  grave  for  the  short  space 
of  one  year,  when  the  insatiable  earth-goddess  is  said  to 
demand  a  fresh  victim. 

I  ought  not  to  omit  to  say  here,  as  a  faithful  recorder  of 
the  facts  that  have  reached  me,  that  in  spite  of  the  tre- 
mendous doom  that  overshadows  the  victims  consecrated 
to  Davee's  altar,  they  lead  resigned  and  even  joyous  lives 
up  to  the  last  moment  of  their  existence ;  and  the  saying 
is,  that  the  soul  of  a  god  enters  the  martyr,  and  transfig- 
ures him  into  a  divine,  ineffable  being,  incapable  of  feel- 
ing any  pain  or  regret  at  the  moment  of  death. 

For  unnumbered  centuries  the  vast  hilly  province  of 
Orissa  verging  on  Gondwana,  and  comprising  all  the  east- 
ern portion  of  the  Vindhya  chain,  has  been  the  scene  of 
this  revolting  and  inhuman  custom ;  and  from  time  imme- 
morial thousands  of  men  whom  we  in  our  enlightenment 
call  "  savage  hordes  "  have  offered  themselves  up  for  the 
good  of  their  fellow-men.     Surely  an  effluence  from  the 


AMONG  THE   HILLS   OF  OMSSA.  75 

Divine  Soul  must  have  passed  over  these  strange  mystic 
mediators,  as  they  stood  trembling  upon  Davee's  altar, 
clutching  the  sharp  knife  in  their  uplifted  hand,  their 
faces  turned  towards  the  darkening  earth,  singing  the  su- 
preme song,  and  uttering  the  supreme  cry,  "  0  Davee  !  do 
all  thy  acts  to  me.  Spend  all  thy  fury  upon  me.  Spare  my 
race  from  the  hungry  grave  (earth).  Drink  of  my  blood, 
and  be  appeased."  And  as  the  echoes  of  this  cry  of  tri- 
umph and  of  despair  die  away  in  the  distance,  the  self-sac- 
rificing  victim  plunges  the  bright  steel  into  his  own  warm 
heart,  bends  forward  to  sprinkle  with  his  life's  blood  the 
insatiable  earth,  repeating  his  song  in  whispers  that  grow 
fainter  and  fainter  as  he  slowly  draws  out  the  fatal  steel 
and  falls  dead  upon  her  bare  bosom. 

The  Rajpoots  are  still  the  chiefs.  They  levy  a  tax  on 
the  various  tribes  who  inhabit  these  hilly  regions,  and  who 
are,  in  great  measure,  dependent  upon  them,  trained  war- 
riors from  their  childhood,  for  their  protection.  They  are 
not  distinct  from  their  neighbors,  so  far  as  the  ceremonials 
of  religion  are  concerned.  The  number  of  marriages 
among  them  is,  however,  contracted  by  the  •  exclusion  of 
all  but  their  own  peculiar  clan  or  caste.  Marriage  itself 
is  an  expensive  thing,  from  the  costly  usages  with  which 
it  is  attended  among  them,  while  at  the  same  time  <••  li- 
bacy  is  disgraceful.  An  unmarried  daughter  is  a  reproach 
to  her  parents  and  to  herself;  therefore  it  has  been  an  es- 
tablished custom  with  the  Rajpoot  to  preserve  the  chastity 
of  his  daughter  and  the  honor  of  his  house  by  doing  away 
with  his  female  children  a  few  hours  after  their  birth. 
When  a  messenger  from  the  Zennana  announces  to 
him  the  birth  of  a  daughter,  the  Rajpoot  will  coolly 
roll  up  between  his  fingers  a  tiny  ball  of  opium,  to  be 
conveyed  to  the  mother,  who  thereupon,  with  many  a  bit- 
ter tear,  rubs  on  her  nipple  the  sleep-giving  poison,  and 
the  babe  drinks  in  death  with  its  mother's  milk. 


76  ROMANCE   OF  THE   HAREM. 

Here  again  we  find  a  striking  anomaly  in  the  Hindoo 
character.  The  parental  instinct  is  as  strong  in  the  people 
of  India  as  in  any  people  of  the  world ;  and  even  where 
no  parental  tie  exists,  the  tenderness  with  which  strong, 
bearded  men  devote  themselves  to  the  care  of  young  chil- 
dren is  as  touching  as  it  is  remarkable.  A  childless 
woman,  too,  is  a  miserable  creature,  a  hissing  and  a  re- 
proach among  men,  and  barrenness  is  only  accounted  for 
as  a  punishment  for  some  grievous  sin  committed  against 
the  gods  in  a  pre-existent  state.  Nevertheless,  among  the 
high-caste  Eajpoot  tribes  female  infanticide  is  universally 
practised ;  so  that,  in  the  district  in  which  Eama  was  born, 
owing  to  its  decline  from  the  prosperity  of  former  years, 
a  high-born  girl  was  rarely  if  ever  heard  of. 

On  a  high  and  projecting  rock,  whose  scarped  and 
rugged  outlines  bid  defiance  to  the  pedestrian,  stood  the 
stately  mansion  of  Dhotee  Bhad,  the  chieftain  of  Megara, 
and  the  father  of  Eama,  recognizable  by  its  grand  appear- 
ance, its  balconies  of  fretted  stone,  and  its  long  windows, 
which  commanded  for  miles  the  surrounding  country.  It 
is  a  wild  and  solitary  spot,  and  out  of  the  direct  road  to 
any  place ;  but  it  had  two  advantages,  —  it  was  almost  in- 
accessible, and  it  overlooked  valleys  which  were  as  luxu- 
riant with  verdure  as  the  hills  around  were  sterile  and 
barren.  Two  miles  from  this  spot  rises  the  Ghat  Meriah, 
crowned  with  a  grove  of  stately  trees,  whose  profound 
brown  shadows  and  lurid  gloom  is  said  to  be  caused  by 
the  spirits  of  the  victims  offered  up  yearly  there,  and 
whose  grand  proportions  are  dimly  visible  at  points  here 
and  there  as  you  approach  the  grove.  At  the  foot  of  this 
Ghat,  in  a  thick  and  all  but  impenetrable  forest,  are  sev- 
eral magnificent  ponds  from  which  the  inhabitants  draw 
their  water. 

Such  was  the  home  and  the  birthplace  of  our  hero 
Eama. 


THE   REBEL   DUKE  P'lIAYA   SI   P'lIIFOOR.  77 

CHAPTEE  IX. 

THE  REBEL  DUKE   P'lIAYA  SI  P'HIFOOR. 

IK  the  year  1831  a  revolutionary  war  broke  out  in  the 
northern  provinces  of  Siam.  The  ringleader  of  this 
disaffected  part  of  the  country  was  the  Duke  Fhaya  Si 
Fhifoor,  a  man  who,  from  his  high  position,  great  warlike 
talents,  and  immense  wealth,  possessed  an  unbounded  in- 
fluence over  the  inhabitants  of  the  northern  provinces. 
It  is  said  that  even  from  his  infancy  the  demon  Ambition 
had  taken  such  possession  of  him  that  he  used  to  imagine 
himself  a  king,  and  that,  from  that  time  to  the  fatal  ter- 
mination of  his  life,  he  dreamt  of  nothing  but  the  sceptre 
and  the  supreme  sway. 

It  was  one  of  his  first  efforts,  therefore,  to  gather  from 
distant  lands  all  the  disaffected  and  ambitious  spirits  he 
could  muster  together,  —  men  who  would  be  brave  and 
skilful  enough  to  take  the  helm  in  the  storm  that  must 
follow  his  inexorable  bidding. 

In  1821  he  sent  secret  agents  by  an  Indian  merchant 
ship  to  Calcutta  to  enlist  for  him  a  troop  of  hardy  war- 
riors of  tin-  Rajpoot  tribe.  Among  this  troop  hired  in  Cal- 
cutta and  transshipped  to  Siam  was  our  prisoner,  Rama 
Singalee, — Kama  the  lion  He,  with  the  rest  of  his  party, 
had  been  implicated  in  some  incipient  rebellion  against 
the  British  government,  and  had  fled  for  concealment  to 
the  densely  populated  city  of  Calcutta,  where,  after  sev- 
eral years  of  hard  struggling  to  obtain  some  means  of 
livelihood  not  derogatory  to  their  high  caste,  they  were 
induced  to  sell  their  services  to  the  agent  of  the  Duke 
Fhaya  Si  P'hifoor.    This  1  «an<  1  i  >f  hired  mercenaries  landed 


78  ROMANCE   OF  THE  IIAEEM. 

secretly  in  the  Gulf  of  Martaban,  at  the  mouth  of  the 
Irrawady,  whence  by  night  travel  they  arrived  at  P'hra 
Batt.  Here  portions  of  land  in  the  tenure  of  the  duke 
were  allotted  to  them,  and  they  were  dispersed  until  a 
fitting  opportunity  should  offer  for  striking  the  final  blow 
which  was  to  place  their  master  on  the  throne  of  Siam, 
and  themselves  in  offices  of  trust  in  the  kingdom. 

So  things  went  on  for  several  years,  when  Eama  fell  in 
love  with  a  Loatian  girl  of  singular  beauty,  but  could  not 
collect  money  enough  to  satisfy  the  demands  of  her 
parents. 

It  was  the  custom  of  the  Duke  P'haya  Si  P'hifoor  to 
make  an  annual  visit  to  P'hra  Batt,  ostensibly  with  varied 
offerings  to  the  footprint  of  Buddha,  from  which  the 
whole  mountainous  district  is  named,  but  in  reality  to 
muster  his  retainers,  give  them  presents,  and  exact  fresh 
promises  of  service,  or  to  traverse  the  entire  country  gain- 
ing fresh  adherents  to  his  cause. 

On  one  occasion  a  dreadful  fever  ravaged  his  party; 
many  of  them  had  to  be  left  at  the  different  monasteries 
to  be  cared  for,  while  Eama  and  a  few  followers  only  ac- 
companied him.  Just  as  the  sun  was  setting  behind  the 
mountains,  Eama,  who  acted  as  pioneer,  heard  the  sound 
of  some  animal  in  the  thick  underwood.  He  crept  quick- 
ly back,  motioned  his  companions  to  halt,  and  advanced 
alone.  A  few  yards  from  him  he  saw  a  tiger,  immovable, 
yet  stealthily  watching  his  opportunity  to  make  a  spring. 
Night  was  fast  approaching,  and  so  was  death  ;  but  Eama 
drew  near,  his  eyes  fixed  steadily"  and  unfalteringly  on 
those  of  the  beast.  At  last  he  took  his  position,  and  for 
a  moment  or  two  they  glared  one  upon  the  other.  Then 
in  the  distance  the  rest  of  the  party,  breathless,  their 
hearts  beating  quickly,  heard  the  dismal  roar  of  a  goaded 
and  infuriate  animal,  and  the  heavy  blows  of  a  battle-axe. 
Their  terror  was  only  equalled  by  their  joy  when  they 


THE  REBEL   DUKE   P'HAYA   SI   P'HIFOOR.  70 

saw  the  huge  creature  extended  before  them  in  death. 
The  duke  came  up,  and  instantly  rewarded  the  brave  war- 
rior with  a  hundred  pieces  of  gold. 

Gold  enough  to  buy  Malee,  the  beautiful  Loatian  girl ! 

Next  morning  he  prostrated  himself  before  the  duke, 
and  requested  permission  to  return  at  once  to  Fhra  Batt, 
which  was  granted  him.  Thus  did  the  Eajpoot  obtain  to 
wife  the  woman  he  loved. 

Meanwhile  the  duke,  still  cherishing  his  darling  ambi- 
tion, consulted  all  the  astrologers  in  the  country,  who 
drew  auguries  from  ants,  spiders,  and  bees,  and  predicted 
for  him  a  brilliant  career.  This  so  worked  upon  the 
already  inflamed  imagination  of  P'haya  Si  Fhifoor,  that 
he  was  led,  in  an  unguarded  moment,  to  throw  down  the 
gauntlet  and  declare  open  war  against  the  king  of  Siam, 
whom  he  branded  with  the  titles  of  fox  and  usurper. 

Through  his  secret  emissaries  he  caused  edicts  to  be 
proclaimed  everywhere,  nominating  himself  in  the  name 
of  the  people  and  of  heaven  as  the  lawful  successor  to  the 
throne. 

The  entire  army  of  the  priesthood  and  the  people  were 
on  his  side.  Hosts  of  men  from  all  parts  of  the  country 
flocked  to  his  standard.  The  duke,  mounted  on  a  white 
elephant,  headed  the  rabble  crowd.  Before  him,  on  horse- 
hark,  rode  the  hired  Eajpoot  band  of  warriors. 

Tidings  of  this  alarming  insurrection  soon  reached  the 
enraged  monarch  at  Bangkok,  who  instantly  summoned  a 
council  of  war,  and  sent  trumpeters  all  over  the  land  to 
blast  forth  a  direful  malediction,  in  the  name  of  all  the 
hosts  of  heaven,  upon  the  rebel  duke  and  his  followers. 

The  rebel  duke  and  his  frenzied  legions  made  rapid 
progress,  however.  They  could  he  seen  covering  the 
entire  face  of  the  country,  rushing  on  with  shouts  and 
cries  and  furious  bounding  of  elephants  and  horses,  with 
flourish  of  trumpets  and  of  banners,  —  a  terrible,  undisci- 


80  ROMANCE   OF  THE  HAEEM. 

plined,  myriad-faced  monster,  being  neither  burnt  up  with 
the  scorching  rays  of  Suriya,  nor  scattered  by  the  thunder- 
bolts of  Indra.  The  king,  who  had  stormed  so  loud  and 
so  lustily  from  behind  the  purdah-curtain  of  his  throne, 
now  trembled  and  cowered  in  the  midst  of  his  fifteen 
hundred  wives,  and  let  the  duke  ride  triumphantly,  almost 
to  the  very  gates  of  his  palace  at  Ayudia. 

In  this  emergency  the  prime  minister,  Somdetch  Ong 
Yai,  the  father  of  the  present  premier,  assumed  the  com- 
mand of  the  army,  transshipped  all  the  guns  he  could 
muster  into  small  crafts,  —  the  river  at  Ayudia  being  too 
shallow  for  ships  of  great  tonnage,  —  taking  with  them  an 
ample  supply  of  ammunition,  and  with  hardly  twelve 
thousand  men  sailed  up  the  river,  amid  the  shouts  and 
prayers  of  the  terrified  inhabitants. 

On  their  arrival  at  Ayudia  the  guns  were  conveyed  on 
trucks  to  the  point  whence  the  attack  was  expected. 
Here  Somdetch  Ong  Yai  hastily  erected  several  batteries, 
and  awaited  the  attack. 

Scarcely  four  hours  had  elapsed  after  the  completion  of 
these  preparations,  when  the  whole  neighborhood  was 
aroused  by  the  war-cry  of  the  rebel  army,  which  appeared 
in  sight,  headed  by  the  duke.  The  Eajpoot  cavalry, 
armed  with  long  rifle-guns,  bows  and  arrows,  and  poisoned 
lances,  prepared  to  storm  the  batteries.  There  was  a  mo- 
ment of  fearful  silence,  followed  by  a  flash  and  the 
thundering  roar  of  the  artillery  from  the  other  side.  The 
monster  army  of  the  rebel  duke  reeled,  scattered,  and  gave 
way,  all  but  the  Eajpoot  cavalry,  almost  every  one  of 
whom  lay  dead  or  dying  on  the  field.  The  prime  minis- 
ter, Somdetch  Ong  Yai,  rushed  forward  and  captured  the 
rebel  duke,  wounding,  in  the  attempt,  one  gigantic,  des- 
perate soldier,  who  fought  with  a  recklessness  of  daring 
in  behalf  of  his  misguided  leader  that  won  the  admira- 
tion of  friend  and  foe. 


PALM-TREKS    NEAR    III  K    NEW    ROAD,    BANGKOK. 


THE   REBEL  DUKE   TIIAYA   Bl    rilll'OOR.  81 

Where  was  the  monster  army  now  ? 

Of  the  dead  and  dying  there  were  a  thousand  or  more, 
of  living  captives  only  two,  —  the  Duke  Fhaya  si  rhi- 
foor,  and  one  faithful  soldier,  Rama  Singalee.  The  rest 
had,  at  the  first  sound  of  the  cannon,  fled  far  beyond  its 
range,  like  a  wave  of  the  ocean  it  had  swept  out  of 
sight  P'haya  Si  Fhifoor  was  carried  to  Bangkok,  tried, 
and  sentenced  to  death.  A  general  amnesty  was  pro- 
claimed, and  the  generous  premier,  Somdetch  Ong  Xai, 
took  Rama  into  his  own  household,  had  him  eared  for  and 
proniot ed  to  a  place  of  trust.  As  for  the  wretched  duke, 
on  his  arrival  at  Bangkok  he  was  condemned  first  to  have 
his  eyes  put  out,  and  then  to  be  placed  in  an  iron 
which  was  suspended  from  a  scaffolding  in  the  middle  of 
the  river,  so  that  the  unfortunate  captive  could  manage 
just  barely  to  touch  with  the  tips  of  his  fingers  the 
waters  as  they  rippled  under  it. 

Here  he  was  left  by  that  most  inhuman  of  the  kings 
of  Siam,  Fhendin  Klang,  without  food  or  raiment,  cx- 
posed  to  the  burning  heat  of  the  noonday  sun,  to 
suiter  from  the  acutest  agonies  of  thirst,  within  hearing 
and  touch  of  the  waters  that  flowed  in  perpetual  eddies 
beneath  his  feet. 

How  ardently  must  that  poor,  unhappy  man  have 
prayed  for  death;  and  that  dark  angel,  at  all  times  too 
ready  to  come  unhidden  to  the  good  and  happy,  st<»<>d 
aloof,  and  seemed  to  mock  at  his  misery  for  many  and 
many  a  weary  day  and  night,  until  at  Length  it  began  to 
be  whispered  among  the  peopL — many  of  whom  would 
gladly  have  brought  him  food  an. I  drink,  but  for  the  dread- 
ful punishment  threatened  on  all  such  as  should  attempt 
in  any  way  to  mitigate  his  tortures  —  that  the  angels, 
pitying  his  sufferings,  brought  him  nightly  portions  of 
the  "amreeta"  on  which  they  fed  so  plentifully  in  heaven, 

But  the  truth  was,  that    Rama  Singalee  was  the  stout- 

4*  F 


82  ROMANCE  OF  THE  HAREM. 

hearted  angel  who  battled  nightly  with  the  strong  currents 
of  the  Meinam,  and  brought,  at  the  risk  and  peril  of  his 
life,  some  boiled  rice  and  water  in  the  hollow  of  a  bam- 
boo cane,  which,  as  he  floated  beneath  the  iron  cao,'e,  he 
held  up  to  his  late  master's  mouth,  who  sucked  therefrom 
the  scanty  portion  of  food  it  contained. 

The  last  night  of  the  unfortunate  prisoner's  life,  Eama 
set  out  as  usual,  ignoring  the  pain  of  his  wounds,  and, 
swimming  manfully  against  the  strong  tide  that  threat- 
ened to  bear  him  away  with  it,  he  reached  the  spot  about 
three  o'clock  in  the  morning,  stealthily  approached  the 
cage,  keeping  his  head  under  water,  but  his  heart  above 
the  clouds,  with  those  heroic  souls  who  follow  in  the  path 
of  the  Son  of  Heaven.  He  swam  right  under  the  cage, 
and  looking  up  in  the  darkness  towards  it,  saw  no  shadow 
there.  He  held  up  the  long  bamboo,  and  rested  it  against 
the  iron  bars,  but  no  eager,  trembling  hand  grasped  it,  as 
it  was  wont  to  do.  He  called  out  in  hoarse  whispers, 
"  P'hakha,  p'hakha,  soway  tho  "  (master,  master,  pray  eat). 
No  sound,  no  movement,  reached  his  anxious  ears. 

Ah,  happy  man !  the  loving  voice  of  his  devoted  fol- 
lower reached  his  ears,  and  penetrated  far  into  his  sinking 
heart,  as  he  lay  in  his  last  agonies,  coiled  up  on  the  floor 
of  his  cage,  and  in  the  double  darkness  of  night  and  sight- 
lessness, he  saw  the  brave,  strong  face  of  this  one  great 
soul  that  loved  him  in  spite  of  all  his  sin  and  misery ;  and, 
even  as  he  caught  the  vision,  a  smile  such  as  would  have 
irradiated  the  throne  of  God,  passed  over  that  blind,  dis- 
torted face,  and  the  soul  flitted  away  rejoicing,  leaving 
behind  it  an  expression  of  serenity  and  peace,  as  if  that 
proud,  turbulent,  and  ambitious  spirit  had  at  last  been 
taught  the  meaning  of  a  higher  love,  and  through  it  had 
breasted  the  waters,  and  gained  the  shore  "Where  the 
wicked  cease  from  troubling,  and  the  weary  are  at  rest." 

After  some  years  of  service  in  the  army,  the  premier, 


THE    RjEBEL   DUKE   P'HAYA   SI   P'lIIEOOR.  83 

Somdetch  Ong  Yai,  being  dead,  Rama,  having  been  regu- 
larly branded  as  the  vassal  of  his  eldest  son,  Chow  Fhaya 
Mandtree,  obtained  permission  to  return  home  to  his  wife. 
Just  eight  years  after  these  events,  and  the  very  year  after 
his  return  home,  there  was  bom  to  this  brave  man  a 
daughter,  who,  as  it  sometimes  happens,  by  some  singular 
in  ak  of  nature,  or,  perhaps,  by  some  higher  law  of  devel- 
opment, was  so  wondrously  beautiful,  that  when  Rama, 
faithful  to  the  custom  of  his  ancestors,  handed  to  his  wife, 
a  few  hours  after  her  delivery,  a  baU  of  opium  to  be 
rubbed  on  her  breasts,  she  turned  up  to  him  a  scared  and 
wondering  look,  muttering,  "  She  is,  — she  is  the  smile  of 
God,"  the  deadly  ball  dropped  from  her  pulseless  hands, 
and  her  spirit  passed  away ;  and  he,  broken  hearted  and 
baffled,  rightly  interpreted  the  significance  of  her  dying 
words,  not  only  spared  the  child's  life,  but  named  her 
Devo  Smayatee  (the  God  smiles).  Thus  a  new  life  stole 
into  the  heart  and  the  arms  of  the  old  warrior  of  Orissa, 


84  ROMANCE   OF   THE  HAREM. 


CHAPTEE    X. 

THE   GRANDSON  OF  SOMDETCH   ONG  YAI,  AND   HIS  TUTOR 
P'HRA  CHOW  SADUMAN. 

WHEN  Rama  and  his  daughter  were  carried  off  to 
prison,  poor  Smayatee  hardly  realized  what  was 
going  to  happen.  But  when  a  couple  of  Amazons  forced 
her  away  from  her  father,  and  she  understood  the  full 
meaning  of  what  had  befallen  them,  she  began  to  shout 
and  scream  aloud  for  help.     But  none  came. 

A  child  of  the  mountains  and  hills,  she  had  as  yet  de- 
veloped none  but  the  natural  instincts  of  what  civiliza- 
tion would  call  a  savage.  Combined  with  her  fine  organi- 
zation, she  inherited  a  passionate  nature,  and  an  intense 
love  for  the  mountains  and  woods,  the  earth  and  sky, 
which  were  to  her  so  many  beautiful  gods.  To  some  she 
had  been  accustomed  to  offer  flowers,  to  others  fruit,  oil, 
wine,  honey,  water.  She  always  set  apart  a  portion  of 
every  meal  for  her  favorite  god  Davee,  the  earth-goddess. 
To  such  a  nature  only  to  live  was  worship.  To  see,  to 
hear,  to  gather  thoughts  and  pictures,  to  feel  the  throbbing 
pulses ;  to  fill  the  eye  with  images  of  beauty,  the  heart 
with  impulses  of  love  and  joy ;  to  place  the  mind  face  to 
face  with  the  unwritten  mysteries  which  nature  unfolds 
to  it,  —  is,  indeed,  the  highest  sphere  of  contemplation  and 
worship,  as  well  for  the  savage  as  the  child  of  civilization. 

The  Amazons  who  guarded  the  cell  chatted  together  in 
a  low  tone,  while  Smayatee,  exhausted  by  her  cries  and 
screams  for  help,  had  sunk  into  a  deep  sleep.  They  re- 
marked on  the  beauty  of  her  skin,  the  roundness  of  her 
limbs,  the  softness  of  her  cheeks,  and  the  superb  lashes 


THE   GRANDSON   OF  SOMDKTCII,   AND   HIS   TUTOR.       85 

that  rested  flo  lightly  upon  them,  and  wondered  who  she 

could  1"' ;  for  though  her  dress  bespoke  her  of  the  pea-ant 
class  of  the  Loatians,  her  form  and  face  betokened  high 
birth 

•  Be  must  have  stolen  her,"  said  one  of  the  women  ; 
'•  Bhe  cannot  be  his  daughter,  though  she  calls  him  father." 

"He  has  1  nought  her  here  for  sale,  of  course,"  added 
another;  "else  why  should  he  have  chosen  such  a  place  as 
tli is,  so  near  the  royal  palace,  for  encampment." 

"Ah,  well  I  whatever  be  her  lot,  poor  child,  let  us  not 
add  to  her  sufferings ;  she  will  have  enough  of  them  in 
this  life,"  rejoined  the  kind-hearted  chief  officer. 

The  bell  above  the  prison  gate,  with  its  brazen  tongue, 
tolled  out  twelve  (i.  e.,  five  in  the  morning) ;  the  girl,  aroused 
as  it  wire  1  y  the  voice  of  an  angel,  started,  rubbed  her  eyes, 
and  looking  around  seemed  to  recall  the  events  of  the  last 
night  She  then  made  several  profound  salutations  and 
invocations  to  a  gleam  of  sunlight  that  came  straggling 
into  her  cell,  -wrapped  her  saree  over  her  head  and  face, 
and  placed  herself  near  the  door,  so  as  to  be  able  to  pass 
out  the  moment  it  should  be  opened. 

"  Take  something  to  eat,  child,"  said  the  chief  of  the 
Amazons  on  guard,  who  was  partaking  of  a  breakfast  of 
cold  rice  and  fish,  "and  wait  till  the  sun  is  higher  in  the 
heavens,  and  T  will  go  with  you  ;  it  is  not  fit  that  one  so 
young  and  beautiful  should  go  out  alone  and  unpro- 
tected. " 

Sh.'  was  too  kind-hearted  to  tell  her  that  she  was  a 
prisoner,  and  no  longer  free  to  go  in  and  out. 

Sm&y&tee  had  hardly  swallowed  a  few  mouthfuls  of 
rice,  when  the  guardsman  of  the  previous  night  appeared, 
with  orders  to  the  Amazons  to  take  her  to  the  Sala  of  the 
Grand  Duke,  Chow  PTiaya  Mandtree;  as  they,  on  discov- 
ering from  the  mark  on  the  old  man's  arm  that  he  was  a 
vassal  of  that  nobleman,  had  resigned  him  to  the  cus- 
tody of  his  officers. 


86  ROMANCE  OF  THE  HAREM. 

The  Amazons  led  the  way,  and  Smayatee  followed  with 
faltering  steps.  Nobody  noticed  her.  Everybody  seemed 
excited  and  eager.  Every  one  hurried  towards  the  same 
spot. 

In  her  uncertainty  the  girl  could  see  nothing  in  the 
world  but  the  river  running  strong,  yet  running  calmly 
on.  After  a  little  while  she  began  to  trace  the  opposite 
bank ;  a  little  way  to  the  left  something  hanging  midway 
in  the  sky,  as  she  supposed,  or  rather  in  mid-distance ; 
there  being  as  yet  no  sky,  no  heaven,  no  earth ;  nothing 
but  the  river.  This  was  a  bridge  ;  they  cross  the  bridge. 
Where  does  it  lead  to  ?  Whither  flows  this  mysterious 
stream,  of  which  the  coming  and  the  going  are  equally 
full  of  wonder  and  dread  to  her  ?  What  mysterious,  en- 
chanted palaces  and  temples  are  those  looming  out  yonder 
on  the  other  side  ?  To  her  ignorance  they  are  but  in- 
finitude and  the  unknown.  Now  they  near  the  duke's 
palace ;  the  odors  of  orange-flowers  and  spice-groves  reach 
them,  like  airs  that  breathe  from  paradise. 

Having  come  to  the  great  hall,  the  Amazons  take  their 
places  on  one  of  the  lowest  steps,  Smayatee  seated  between 
them ;  they  are  contented  to  chew  their  betel  and  to  wait. 

The  hall  is  full  of  men.  The  work  of  branding  and 
enrolling  goes  briskly  on  under  the  orders  of  a  young 
nobleman,  called  ISTai  Dhamaphat,  the  grandson  of  Som- 
detch  Ong  Yai.  Every  now  and  then  some  persons  are 
brought  forward  to  be  admonished,  fined,  or  whipped. 
Sometimes  from  among  this  crowd  a  boy  is  dragged  out 
forcibly,  and  branded. 

Through  the  masses  of  men,  lighted  up  now  by  the  full 
blaze  of  sunlight,  Smayatee  sought  one  form  and  one 
figure  only,  and  he  was  nowhere  to  be  seen. 

Suddenly  the  Grand  Duke  was  announced ;  he  entered 
the  hall  with  conscious  swagger,  followed  by  a  long  train 
of  attendants  and  slaves. 


THE   GRANDSON    OF   S0MDETCH,   AND   HIS   TUTOR.       87 

Ko  words  could  express  what  there  was  in  the  face  and 
figure  of  this  man,  as  he  rolled  rather  than  walked  into 
the  centre  of  the  hall. 

Work  instantly  ceased;  all  around  crouched  and  hid 
their  races.  This  did  not  rouse  his  huge,  drowsy  nature 
into  even  a  look  of  recognition;  he  growled  rather  than 
spoke  the  orders  for  the  workers  to  continue,  and  turned 
t"  his  son  and  said,  "Dhamaphat,  what  is  this  about  Rama 
Singalee  having  attacked  the  captain  of  the  royal  guards  '. " 

■  My  Lord,"  replied  the  latter,  "the  captain,  as  far  as  I 
can  learn,  is  as  much  to  blame  as  the  old  soldier,  who 
says  he  only  Btruck  him  in  defence  of  his  daughter." 

"  A  daughter,  eh  !  I  did  not  know  the  old  fellow  had  a 
daughter." 

At  this  point  in  the  conversation  Smayatee,  who  had 
been  listening  with  deep  attention,  leaned  forward,  and 
fearlessly  addressed  the  duke,  said,  "Do  you  want  that 
I  should  tell  you  how  it  happened,  my  lord  ? " 

*  Well,  speak  out ! "  said  the  duke,  turning  savagely 
upon  the  girl  for  having  dared  to  interrupt  him  unbidden. 

He  checked  himself,  however,  as  his  eye  fell  upon  the 
graceful,  veiled  figure,  and  said  rather  more  gently,  "  Go 
on,  how  was  it  ?" 

Smayatee  threw  back   her   covering,  sat  up,  and   re- 

l  the  story  of  her  long  journey,  her  father's  fears  to 

her  alone  at  home,  their  encampment  near  the  royal 

palace,  her  fearful  alarm,  and  how  it  was  to  save  her  that 

fcher  Btruck  the  captain  of  the  king's  guard 

girl   never  looked  so  beautiful,  so  fearless;    there 

was  in  her  look  the  innocence  and  the  ignorance  of  a 

babe.     It  was  not  the  words  she  uttered,  but  the  face  she 

presented,  the  look  BO  sad  and  yet  so  full  of  trust,  which 

I  to  muse  the  drowsy  nature  of  the  duke,  and  to 

change  his  repulsiveness  into  something  more  hideous  still. 

Dhamaphat  listened,   too,   with    intense    interest;    it 


88  ROMANCE   OF  THE  HAREM. 

seemed  as  if  his  whole  soul  were  concentrated  into  his 
eyes  and  ears. 

The  duke  was  puzzled  what  to  say.  He  turned  to 
exchange  a  few  words,  in  an  undertone,  with  his  son,  and 
then  dismissed  the  Amazons,  charging  them,  on  the  peril 
of  their  lives,  not  to  lose  sight  of  the  girl,  and  promising 
the  latter  to  have  the  matter  investigated  on  the  following 
day. 

In  Siamese  life  the  lights  and  shadows  are  equally 
strong.  At  once  brilliant  and  gloomy,  smiling  and  sombre, 
lighted  as  by  the  radiance  of  dawn,  and  at  the  same 
time  enveloped  in  the  darkness  of  night. 

The  branding  and  enrolling  for  the  day  was  over.  The 
crowds  dispersed  to  their  various  homes. 

When  the  young  man,  Nai  Dhamaphat,  went  out,  he 
had  but  one  thought ;  it  was  to  follow  that  girl,  and  try, 
if  possible,  to  see  her  face  and  hear  her  voice  again. 

There  was  something  in  that  face  that  had  changed  the 
whole  current  of  his  being,  and  had  set  him,  charged  with 
a  new  force,  in  the  midst  of  a  little  world  all  by  itself, 
the  horizon  of  which  was  bounded  by  her  possible  smile. 

He  turned  his  steps  towards  the  grand  palace,  and 
gazed  upon  the  place  where  she  was  imprisoned  ;  he  was 
almost  at  the  gate.  He  wavered  in  his  mind ;  custom 
and  his  natural  reserve  forbade  him  to  speak  to  a  strange 
woman ;  with  a  bewildered  air  he  retraced  his  steps  and 
went  home. 

That  part  of  Bangkok  in  which  Chow  P'haya  Mand- 
tree  lived  was  laid  out  in  small  squares,  each  walled  in 
by  low  ramparts,  enclosing  the  residence  and  harem  of 
some  great  noble ;  but  the  duke's  palaces  were  surrounded 
by  a  wall  only  on  three  sides,  from  which  ran,  parallel  to 
the  river-front,  several  streets,  and  among  them  the  gold 
and  silver  streets,  so  designated  from  their  being  inhabited 
by  artists  skilled  in  the  working  of  those  metals. 


THE  GRANDSON  OF  SOMDETCH,  AND  HIS  TUTOR.   80 

The  sun  had  set  when  Dhamaphat  reached  his  home, 
but  it  was  already  night.  Here  there  is  no  twilight,  —  that 
soil  messenger  that  lingers,  unwilling,  as  it  were,  to  usher 
in  the  darkness  of  night. 

Moonlight,  with  its  silvery  touches,  rested  on  the  palace 
roofs  and  made  even  ugliness  and  decay  beautiful.  The 
tall  cocoa  and  betel  palms,  moved  by  the  wood-nymphs, 
fluttered  and  waved  their  branches  to  and  fro,  beckoning 
him  nearer  and  nearer,  and  presenting  a  spectacle,  strange, 
yet  lovely  in  the  extreme. 

The  bright  moon  was  soon  lost  to  view,  except  where  it 
penetrated  the  thick,  overhanging  foliage.  On  the  gate- 
way the  pendent  branches  of  the  bergamot  gave  forth  a 
rich  perfume.  The  shrill  chirping  of  myriads  of  grass- 
hoppers, which  seem  never  to  sleep,  with  the  sounds  of 
distant  music,  fell  upon  his  ear,  as  his  father's  temples  and 
palaces  burst  upon  his  view,  a  mingled  scene  of  fairy 
beauty,  artificial  elegance,  and  savage  grandeur,  —  domes, 
turrets,  enormous  trees,  and  flowers  such  as  are  met  with 
nowhere  else  beneath  the  sun.  The  oldest  temples  in 
Siam  stood  here,  containing  strange  and  wonderful  objects, 
with  stranger  and  more  wonderful  recollections  attached 
to  them.  That  one  on  the  right  was  once,  in  the  reign  of 
the  usurper,  P'haya  Tak,  the  principal  stronghold  of  his 
ancestors,  and  where,  even  after  long  years,  they  were  still 
wont  to  repair,  at  a  particular  moon  in  every  year,  to  pray 
beside  the  golden  pagoda  that  enshrined  the  charred  bones 
of  his  forefathers.  That  gray  palace  had  witnessed  many 
a  gay  assemblage,  held  by  the  old  duke,  Somdetch  Ong 
Yai,  his  grandfather. 

He  enterc;!  the  temple,  beneath  the  portal  of  which 
were  some  deeply  graven  rhymes  from  the  Vedas,  to  him 
equally  dark  as  the  dark  image  of  Buddha  that  had  slum- 
bered for  centuries  at  the  base  of  the  glittering  altar.  Yet, 
wonderful  as  were  the  objects  that  met  the  eye  of  the 


90  ROMANCE   OF  THE   HAREM. 

young  man,  he  simply  prostrated  himself  before  the  altar, 
and  turned  to  his  father's  palace. 

A  low,  open  verandah  faced  the  entrance.  Choice  birds 
were  singing  in  their  cages,  and  soft  lights  of  cocoanut-oil 
were  gleaming  down  upon  them.  A  number  of  noblemen 
were  lounging  on  cool  mats,  some  playing  chess,  others 
engaged  in  conversation.  Slaves  were  passing  round 
tempting  fruits,  and  refreshing  drinks  of  spiced  wines  and 
cocoanut  nectar. 

Dhamaphat  prostrated  himself  before  his  father,  and 
took  his  place  on  a  low  seat.  He  had  no  sooner  done  so, 
than  he  was  startled  by  the  entrance  of  some  armed  men, 
who  brought  in  the  old  Eajpoot,  and  stationed  him  and 
themselves  at  the  extreme  end  of  the  verandah. 

There  was  something  particularly  interesting  about  the 
prisoner.  He  was  a  tall,  slender,  alert-looking  man,  about 
sixty,  fair,  with  aquiline  features,  and  expressive  and 
determined  countenance.  There  were  lines  on  his  face 
that  told  of  hardship  and  suffering,  though  these  seemed 
in  no  degree  to  have  depressed  his  spirits,  or  to  have  im- 
paired his  youthful  vigor  and  activity.  He  wore  a  blue 
cloak,  and  an  ample  turban  of  blue  silk. 

The  duke  at  length  addressed  the  prisoner,  and  said : 
"  Eama,  you  have  committed  a  crime  which,  if  you  had 
not  been  my  slave,  would  have  handed  you  over  to  the 
criminal's  prison  for  life,  or  to  instant  death ;  and  now, 
since  your  daughter  has  told  us  with  her  own  lips,  that  it 
was  in  her  defence  you  struck  the  captain  of  the  royal 
guards,  I  am  going  to  pay  him  a  heavy  fine,  and  smother 
this  affair.     But  only  on  one  condition,  however,  —  " 

The  duke  paused  for  a  reply,  or  some  expression  of 
thankfulness. 

None  came. 

The  old  soldier  turned  his  head,  and  looked  at  him  in 
serious  doubt. 


THE   GRANDSON  OF   SOMDETCII,  AND   HIS   TUTOR.        91 

After  waiting  a  little  while  lie  repeated,  "  Only  on  one 
condition  ;  that  thou  sell  to  us,  for  our  service  and  pleasure, 
this  daughter  of  thine,  and  we  will  take  better  care  of 
her  than  thou  art  able  to  do." 

It  was  fully  half  an  hour  before  Kama  seemed  to  com- 
prehend the  meaning  of  his  master's  words.  He  had 
never  thought  of  his  daughter  occupying  such  a  position; 
he  had  hardly  realized  that  she  was  no  longer  a  child. 
Now  his  feeling  of  caste  and  race  rose  up  within  him; 
his  strong  nature  was  moved,  as  he  saw  her  snatched 
away  from  him.  All  manner  of  recollections  and  reveries 
full  of  tenderness  came  whispering  at  his  heart,  and  the 
words :  "  My  lord,  to  this  I  can  never  consent,"  came 
slowly,  brokenly  forth,  as  if  out  of  a  heart  struggling  for 
mastery  over  some  great  emotion. 

The  duke  sprang  to  his  feet,  staggered  —  for  he  had  been 
drinking  heavily  —  up  to  the  chained  prisoner,  and,  clench- 
ing his  palsied,  trembling  hand,  he  cried  in  a  thundering 
voice :  "  You  dare  to  refuse  me  !  By  the  gods,  T  will  neither 
eat  nor  drink  until  I  have  seized  and  given  her  to  my 
lowest  slave!  and  if  you  do  not  quickly  repent  of  your 
rash  refusal,  you  shall  be  cast  into  prison  for  the  rest 
of  your  life.  Do  you  forget  what  my  father  did  for  you, 
you  ungrateful  dog  ? "  and  his  dark  face  became  purple 
with  rage  and  fury. 

The  old  warrior  trembled  in  every  limb,  not  from  fear, 
but  from  horror.  He  knew  what  to  expect  from  the 
eldest  son  of  his  late  master.  His  heart  burned  with 
indignation.  But  what  could  he  do  ?  How  could  he 
defend  her?  He  thought  bitterly  of  the  weakness  that 
had  placed  the  honor  of  his  house  and  race  at  the  mercy 
of  a  stranger;  that  little  ball  of  opium  would  have  saved 
her  from  all  possible  insult  He  groaned  aloud,  feeling 
that  this  was  a  just  retribution  for  his  innovation  upon 
the  ancient  custom  of  his  house,  and  large  tears  rolled 
down  his  rugged  face. 


92  ROMANCE  OF  THE  HAREM. 

The  drowning  man,  overtaken  by  the  supreme  agony, 
lives,  in  an  instant,  through  all  his  happy  and  unhappy 
past.  In  a  single  moment  he  sees  the  whole  drama  of 
his  life  reacted  before  him.  Thus  it  was  with  Eama ;  he 
recalled  with  anguish  the  scenes  of  Smayatee's  childhood, 
her  youth  and  growing  womanhood,  all  her  early  glad- 
ness, all  her  bright  hopes  and  illusions,  all  her  gifts  of 
beauty  and  affection,  which  made  one  picture  with  her 
present  degradation,  and  served  only  to  darken  the  riddle 
of  her  life  to  him. 

The  courage  that  had  withstood  a  hungry  tiger  now 
gave  way  before  the  picture  of  the  deeper  degradation 
that  might,  because  of  Ins  refusal,  befall  his  child.  He 
flung  himself  on  the  ground,  and  muttered :  "  She  is 
yours,  my  lord." . 

"  Sa-baye"  (good),  said  the  duke,  clapping  his  hands  ;  "  I 
knew  you  would  give  in ;  you  are  no  fool,  Eama.  It  is 
the  women  whom  we  find  so  difficult  to  manage,  when 
they  take  an  idea  into  their  heads.  Take  him  away  to 
his  cell  now,"  said  he,  addressing  the  guards,  "  to-morrow 
we  will  make  it  all  right,  and  when  the  girl  comes  to  the 
Sala,  we  shall  apprise  her  of  the  high  honors  in  store  for 
her.  Here,"  said  he,  throwing  some  money  to  the  jailers, 
"  go  you  and  make  merry  till  morning,  and  be  sure  and 
give  the  prisoner  as  much  as  he  can  eat  and  drink." 

The  guards  departed,  leading  away  a  fierce,  revengeful- 
looking  old  man. 

When  they  were  gone,  the  duke,  addressing  Nai  Dliama- 
phat,  said :  "  What  think  you  of  our  clemency  to  our 
slaves,  my  son  ?  We  would  not  take  possession  of  this 
beautiful  girl  without  the  old  fellow's  consent." 

He  then  began  to  laugh,  and  added  :  "  Ah,  she  shall  be 
my  cup-bearer,  and  my  good  friends  here  will  have  an 
opportunity  of  admiring  her  beauty  ! " 

The  son  simply  bowed  his  head,  in  seeming  acknowl- 


THE   GRANDSON   OF  SOMDETCII,   AND   HIS   TUTOR.       93 

edgment  of  his  father's  goodness,  and  after  a  while  re- 
tired from  the  pavilion,  passed  over  the  bridge,  and  out 
of  the  palace  gates. 

There  could  not  be  a  greater  difference  of  character 
than  that  which  existed  between  the  duke  and  his  eldest 
son  ;  the  one  gross,  sensual,  cowardly,  the  other  proud  and 
domineering,  yet  withal  brave,  generous,  religious,  and 
impulsive. 

Every  year  found  them  farther  apart  in  education, 
thought,  feelings,  hopes,  and  aspirations.  The  one  stand- 
ing, as  it  were,  with  his  foot  on  the  first  step  of  a  ladd  r 
that  was  to  lead  him  towards  the  highest  ideal  of  Chris- 
tianity, the  other  sunk  beyond  all  hope  in  the  ignorance 
of  a  savage  barbarism. 

But  now  this  last  scene  was  too  much  for  the  former. 
It  snapped  asunder  the  fragile  cord  that  still  bound  him 
to  his  father,  and  placed  him  in  the  position  of  an  antag- 
onist. 

Every  nation  has  certain  constitutional  peculiarities 
which  give  rise  to  practices  and  phases  of  thought  very 
startling  to  others,  who  are,  in  such  points,  differently 
constituted.  The  most  remarkable  peculiarity  of  this 
kind  is  the  reverence  with  which  parents  are  regarded  in 
Siam  ]STo  matter  how  unjust,  capricious,  cruel,  and  re- 
pulsive a  parent  may  be,  a  child  is  bound  to  reverence  his 
or  her  slightest  wish  as  a  sacred  obligation. 

For  Dhamaphat,  therefore,  even  to  question  his  father's 
actions  was,  he  felt,  a  moral  dereliction.  He  was  lull  of 
remorse  and  regret,  and  thought  with  despair  of  the  fate 
that  awaited  him. 

He  had  gained  a  little  wooden  bridge,  which,  thrown 
across  a  canal,  led  him  into  a  lonely  field  ;  here  lie 
motioned  back  the  slaves  who  attempted  to  follow  him, 
and  strode  rapidly  out  into  the  open  country,  where  he 
no  longer  heard  the  sounds  of  revelry,  feasting,  and  licen- 


94  ROMANCE   OF  THE   HAREM. 

tious  mirth.  Rambling  through  the  many  tangled  forest- 
paths,  he  gradually  emerged  into  a  low,  wooded  expanse. 
The  air  was  full  of  delicious  fragrance,  and  alive  with 
strange  noises.  He  saw  in  the  distance  the  calm,  majes- 
tic river,  all  aglow  with  its  myriads  of  lights  and  lanterns, 
yet  it  failed  to  call  forth  a  single  reflection;  he  could 
picture  nothing  but  the  face  of  the  strange  girl,  and  that 
haunted  him  all  the  way.  He  pressed  on,  tired,  feverish, 
with  sad  and  troubled  thoughts ;  he  reached  the  wall  that 
skirts  the  city ;  throwing  some  silver  to  the  guards,  who 
knew  him  well,  he  passed  out  of  the  gate,  and  out  of  the 
city  of  the  "  Invincible,"  to  the  visible  archangel  of 
nature. 

Here  the  solitude  was  startling ;  no  more  streets,  no  more 
lights,  no  more  houses.  Even  the  quiet  river  seemed  to 
hush  on  her  white  and  shining  bosom  the  soft  light  of  the 
moon,  as  if  it  were  the  face  of  a  beloved  child,  until  she 
caught  a  reflection  of  its  beauty,  and  was  transfigured 
down  a  hundred  feet  deep,  as  far  as  light  could  penetrate, 
into  a  clear,  translucent  soul,  in  its  first  dreamless  sleep. 

Moved  by  some  secret  purpose,  he  hurried  on  through  a 
profusion  of  flowering  plants  and  trees ;  he  passed  un- 
noticed the  slender  betel  and  cocoanut  palms,  and  the 
numerous  species  of  huge  convolvuli  "that  coiled  around 
their  stately  stems,  and  ran  e'en  to  the  limit  of  the  land," 
the  long  lance-leaves  of  the  wild  plantains,  the  rich 
foliage  of  the  almonds,  the  gorgeous  oleanders  that  broke 
through  the  green  masses  in  every  variety  of  tint,  from 
the  richest  crimson  to  the  lightest  pink.  Presently  he 
dashed  aside  a  huge  night-blooming  cereus,  and  stood 
before  a  long,  low  building,  a  partly  ruined  monastery, 
adjoining  an  ancient  and  dilapidated  Buddhist  temple. 

The  monastery  was  a  sort  of  long,  low  corridor  or  hall, 
lined  on  each  side  with  chambers,  each  about  ten  feet  deep, 
and  lighted  by  a  small  aperture  in  the  wall. 


THE  GRANDSON   OF  SOMDETCII,  AND   HIS   TUTOR.        95 

It  was  a  gloomy  place,  old  and  unhealthy.  Poisonous 
plants,  creepers,  and  Sowers  reigned  jubilant  here,  with 
ruin  and  desolation  for  companions. 

Wi.  dismantled,  worm-eaten,  and  ruined  as  the  building 
appeared,  it  had  been  the  school  of  young  Dhamaphat  for 
nearly  ten  years,  and  it  was  the  home  of  a  solitary  old 
man,  who  had  spent  forty  years  of  his  lifetime  forget- 
ful of  friends,  affections,  food,  sleep,  and  almost  of  exist- 
ence in  his  contemplations  of  the  mystery  of  things 
beyond,  and  that  still  greater  mystery  called  life ;  his 
Mends  and  relations  had  endeavored  by  every  artifice, 
the  allurements  of  beauty  and  every  other  imaginable 
gratification,  to  divert  him  from  the  resolution  he  had 
adopted.  Every  attempt  to  dissuade  him  had  been  in 
vain.  And  now  he  had  gained  a  fame  as  widespread  as 
the  most  ambitious  heart  could  desire.  Among  the  peo- 
ple he  was  known  under  the  title  of  P'hra  Chow  Sadu- 
man,  the  sainted  priest  of  heaven.  Prodigious  stories 
were  afloat  about  him.  Born  of  noble  parents,  he  had 
from  his  early  youth  practised  an  asceticism  so  rigorous 
and  severe  that  it  had  prepared  him,  it  was  thought,  for 
his  supernatural  mission.  It  was  not  only  alleged,  but 
believed,  that  at  the  sound  of  his  inspired  voice  the  dead 
arose  and  walked,  the  sick  were  healed ;  that  diseases 
vanished  at  the  touch  of  his  hand  ;  sinners  were  con- 
verted by  his  simple  admonition;  wild  beasts  and  ser- 
pents  were  obedient  to  his  word  ;  and  that  in  his  momenta 
of  ecstasy  he  floated  in  the  air  before  the  eyes  of  his  dis- 
ciples, passed  through  stone  walls  and  barred  gates,  and,  in 
fact,  could  do  whatsoever  he  willed. 

The  crumbling  old  door  of  the  cell  was  partly  open; 
no  light  was  visible ;  and,  as  Dhamaphat  stood  there  hesi- 
tating whether  he  would  enter,  alow,  faint,  tremulous  sound 
came  out  of  the  darkness  within,  and  floated  upward  on  the 
silence  of  night  Like  the  voice  of  some  celestial  chorister. 


96  ROMANCE   OF  THE  HAREM. 

It  was  the  Buddhist's  evening  hymn,  or  chant,  and  the 
familiar  words  — 

"  Nam  a  Buddsa  phakava  thouraha, 
Sama  Boodhsa  thatsa  Phutthang 
Purisa  thamma  sarathi 
Sangkhang  saranang  ga  clia  mi,"  etc., 

freely  translated, 

"  0  thou,  who  art  thyself  the  light, 

Boundless  in  knowledge,  beautiful  as.  day, 

Irradiate  my  heart,  my  life,  my  night, 

Nor  let  me  ever  from  thy  presence  stray  !  " — 

touched  his  better  nature  and  melted  his  heart.  He 
stooped  forward,  and  listened  to  it  lovingly  as  it  rose 
higher  and  higher,  growing  more  and  more  exultant  till  it 
caught  his  trembling  spirit,  and  bore  it  away  beyond  the 
confines  of  this  world  face  to  face  with  a  Divine  Ineffa- 
ble Presence  full  of  harmony  and  beauty. 

His  anger  and  his  grief  were  forgotten. 

So  Dhamaphat  turned  his  face  to  the  sky.  One  moment 
he  stood  erect  in  an  absolute  halo  of  light,  the  next  he 
was  combatting  darkly  with  the  blind  shadows  of  love 
and  hate,  cause  and  effect,  merit  and  demerit,  the  end- 
less evolutions  of  the  "  wheel "  of  an  irresistible  law  into 
which  all  things  are  cast. 

He  felt  something  cold  pass  over  his  hand  ;  he  started, 
and  became  aware  that  the  good  priest  had  finished  his 
devotions.  He  tapped  gently,  and  was  told  to  enter, 
which  he  did  hesitatingly. 

In  the  middle  of  the  cell  sat  the  priest,  who  seemed, 
even  in  his  old  age,  full  of  the  vigor  of  manhood  ;  his  legs 
were  crossed,  his  arms  folded,  and  his  eyes  cast  down ; 
he  did  not  even  raise  them  at  the  entrance  of  the  young 
man ;  he  was  in  that  semi-stupor  commonly  called  con- 
templation. In  one  corner  a  narrow  plank,  quite  bare,  and 
a  wooden  pillow  served  for  his  bed ;  beside  it  an  old  fan, 
a  pot  for  water,  an  earthen  vessel  for  rice,  some  rude  old 


THE   GRANDSON   OF   SOMDETCII,   AND   HIS  TUTOR.       97 

instruments  and  books ;  beyond  these  the  cell  was  bare, 
damp,  cold,  slimy,  and  unhealthy.  It  was  without  any 
light,  save  where  the  moonlight  fell  in  ghastly  lights  and 
Bhadowa  through  the  slits  in  the  wall. 

•  My  father/1  said  the  young  man,  as  he  reverently 
prostrated  himself  before  the  priest,  who  half  opened  his 
dull  eyes,  and  said :  "  S'amana  phinong  "  (peace,  brother). 

"  Alas  ! "  replied  Dhamaphat ;  "  in  this  life  there  is  no 
peace,  no  rest,  no  freedom  from  suffering ;  the  endless 
revolutions  of  the  wheel  only  crush  out  life,  to  reproduce 
it  again  in  another  form." 

" '  Take  the  reins,  and  ride  over  it,  then,"  said  the  priest, 
meditatively.     "  What  says  the  Dharma  padam  ?  * 

"  Stop  the  chariot  valiantly ;  arrest  the  horses  of  desire. 
"When  thou  hast  comprehended  that  which  is  made,  thou 
wilt  understand  that  which  is  not  made,  —  the  uncreate. 
Some  do  not  know  that  we  must  all  come  to  an  end  here ; 
but  some  do  know  it,  and  with  them  all  conflicts  cease. 
He  who  lives  for  pleasure  only,  his  passions  uncontrolled, 
immoderate  in  his  enjoyments,  idle  and  weak,  him  will 
the  tempter  overcome,  as  the  wind  overcomes  a  worm- 
eaten  tree.' 

"If  we  could  live  a  thousand  years,  it  would  be  worth 
our  while  to  struggle  after  the  pleasures  of  this  world. 
Death  comes  too  soon.  There  are  many  beginnings,  but 
no  ending  to  life.  Let  us  practise  the  four  virtues,  my 
brother;  they  alone  are  real,  satisfactory,  the  true  illuini- 
na.tors  of  the  mind;  without  this  inward  illumination, 
what  is  life  but  darkness,  storms,  wild,  unconscious  tu- 
mult, the  ceaseless  tumbling  <>i"  the  fierce  tides  of  passion; 
and  death,  but  exhaustion  ? " 

"Alas  ! "  cried  the  youttg  man,  in  a  voice  full  of  emo- 
tion ;  "  is  life  indeed  such  an  empty  void  ?  Is  there  no 
compensation  anywhere  ? " 

*  Dharma  padam,  the  "  Path  of  Virtue."  —  Buddhist  Bible. 
5  O 


98  ROMANCE   OF  THE  HAREM. 

The  priest  opened  wide  his  half-closed  eyes,  looked 
full  into  Dhamaphat's  face,  and  remarked :  "  Thou  art 
strangely  disturbed  to-night,  my  brother.  Is  it  not  well 
with  thee  ? " 

Dhamaphat  made  no  reply. 

There  was  sympathy,  and  a  touch  of  tender  feeling  in 
the  voice  of  the  priest,  as  he  bent  close  to  his  young 
pupil,  and  said :  "  What  is  thy  suffering  ?  Speak  freely 
to  me,  and  I  will  aid  thee  to  the  utmost  of  my  ability." 
Saying  this,  the  priest  arose,  and  passed  his  hand  slowly 
over  the  clefts  in  the  wall.  'Instantly  the  moon  withdrew 
her  light. 

At  this  moment  the  night-owl  suddenly  gave  a  harsh 
and  prolonged  cry. 

"  That  bird  answers  to  thy  thoughts,"  said  the  priest. 

Dhamaphat  shuddered ;  he  believed  that  in  the  cry  of 
the  bird  he  heard  an  echo  of  his  own  wild  desire  to  frus- 
trate his  father's  plans. 

Then  in  a  few  stirring  words  he  told  the  priest  of  his 
love  for  the  Eajpoot's  daughter,  of  her  present  situation, 
and  of  his  desire  to  help  her  and  her  father  to  escape. 

At  the  words,  "  Eajpoot's  daughter,"  the  old  man  started, 
and  there  passed  over  his  face,  unseen,  an  expression  of 
regret  mingled  with  desire,  with  winch  a  thirsty  man  sees 
afar  off,  out  of  his  possible  reach,  a  cup  of  cold  water,  for 
which  he  is  dying,  but  which  is  not  for  him.  Then,  as 
suddenly,  he  sat  down,  and  resumed  his  calm  exterior. 

A  full  hour  passed  in  complete  silence ;  the  old  man 
and  the  young  man  sat  in  the  darkness,  with  their  faces 
turned  to  one  another,  each  on  his  side  thinking  over  the 
same  things,  and  feeling  the  same  impulses. 

"  This  is  very  strange,"  said  he,  at  length  'K  "  when  I 
made  my  annual  pilgrimage  to  P'hra  Batt,  last  year,  a 
lovely  girl,  Kama  the  Eajpoot's  daughter,  who  called  her- 
self Devo  Smayatee,  brought  me  food  every  morning,  and 


THE  GRANDSON  OF  SOMDETCH,  AND  HIS  TUTOR.   99 

washed  my  feet  every  evening.  She  was  then  hardly  a 
woman,  but  she  filled  my  heart  with  a  fragrance  which  is 
all-abiding.  But,"  added  the  priest,  in  an  undertone,  as 
it'  for  himself,  "  death  carries  off  a  man  who  is  gathering 
flowers,  as  a  flood  sweeps  away  a  sleeping  village.  He 
in  whom  the  desire  for  the  Ineffable  (Nirwana)  has  sprung 
up,  whose  thoughts  are  not  bewildered  by  love,  he  is  the 
'  Ordhvamsrotas/  borne  on  the  stream  of  immortality ;  he 
will  stand  face  to  face  with  the  Infinite."  He  spoke 
slowly  and  deliberately,  repeating  each  word  as  if  they 
conveyed  some  peculiar  meaning  to  his  mind  and  some 
subtle  charm  to  his  senses. 

"Nay,  father,"  rejoined  the  young  man,  interrupting 
him,  "  you  do  not  tell  me  how  I  can  help  her." 

The  good  old  priest  —  for  good  he  was  in  spite  of  the 
strong  natural  man  within  him  —  turned  on  Dhamaphat 
a  look  partly  of  sorrow  and  partly  of  affection.  Then, 
drawing  towards  him  one  of  his  mysterious  books,  he 
placed  it  on  his  head ;  with  his  hands  spread  out  to 
heaven,  he  gradually  moved  his  body  to  and  fro,  until  his 
gyrations  became  rapid  and  grotesque,  uttering  strange 
prayers  and  incantations.  After  a  short  time  he  began  to 
prophesy,  and  said,  in  fitful  spasms :  "  Thy  father's  days 
are  numbered  ;  the  long  night  for  him  is  at  hand  ;  fear 
not,  this  mountain  flower  will  blossom  in  spring-time  on 
thy  bosom." 

For  more  than  an  hour  a  cloud  had  darkened  the  sky ; 
the  moment  the  priest  had  done  prophesy  inn,  a  ray  of 
moonlight  suddenly  lighted  up  his  pale  face,  and  was  re- 
flected from  his  smoothly  shaven  head  like  a  luminous 
circle. 

After  gazing  upon  it  for  some  ten  minutes,  Dhamaphat 
began  to  tremble,  and  turned  deadly  pale ;  feeling  that  he 
was  in  the  presence  of  a  supernatural  being,  he  once  more 
prostrated  himself,  and  withdrew.     Some  secret  influence 


100  ROMANCE  OF  THE  HAREM. 

from  the  priest  had  for  the  moment  benumbed  into  icy- 
coldness  and  even  indifference  his  ardent  love  for 
Smayatee. 

It  was  almost  dawn  when  he  sought  his  couch  for  rest. 

A  DREAM  OF  THE  NIGHT. 

Meanwhile  the  prisoner  Eama  had  had  a  plentiful  re- 
past, and  was  sleeping  heavily,  with  fatigue  and  despair 
for  a  pillow,  on  the  damp  floor  of  his  cell. 

Towards  morning  a  cold  sweat  broke  out  on  his  brow. 
He  felt  creeping  over  him  an  indefinable  horror,  a  sort 
of  nightmare,  which  he  struggled  in  vain  to  shake  off. 
He  groaned,  panted,  and  at  length  sat  up  with  a  tremen- 
dous effort. 

In  a  niche  in  the  wall  he  fancied  he  saw  a  pale,  blue, 
misty  outline  of  a  human  figure,  so  indistinct  that  at  first 
he  could  only  distrust  his  own  vision,  but  gradually  it 
began  to  take  form ;  at  length  it  was  as  clear  and  palpable 
as  a  shape  of  life.  It  was  the  face  and  figure  of  the 
priest  P'hra  Chow  Saduman,  whom  he  had  met  a  year 
ago  in  the  mountains  of  P'hra  Batt.  He  was  dressed  in  a 
loose  robe  of  cloudy  yellow ;  his  legs  were  crossed,  his 
arms  folded  across  his  breast,  his  eyes  cast  down ;  he 
seemed  to  be  praying.  The  shadow  of  the  shade  in  the 
background  grew  darker,  and  the  form  grew  lurid,  as  if 
surrounded  by  fire. 

Eama  stared,  rubbed  his  eyes ;  plainer  did  the  figure 
of  the  priest  appear,  until  it  seemed  to  rise  and  swell  and 
fill  the  whole  cell.  A  dark,  heavy  mist  settled  on  the 
prisoner's  face,  but  the  apparition  grew  brighter.  He 
could  bear  it  no  longer ;  shuddering  with  horror,  he  cried : 
"  Speak,  whoever  thou  art,  and  tell  me  thy  commands ; 
they  shall  be  obeyed." 

Suddenly  he  felt  a  violent  shaking  of  the  ground  on 
which  he  was  seated;  each  moment  he  expected  to  be 


THE   GRANDSON   OF   SOMDETCH,   AND   HIS   TUTOR.     101 

hurled  into  an  abyss  below ;  he  clung  to  the  earth,  and 
cried  again  :  "  Speak  !  For  by  the  gods  Davee  and  Dhupiyd 
I  vow  to  fulfil  thy  behest,  even  if  it  be  to  offer  thee  a 
human  sacrifice." 

He  then  perceived  a  soft  cloud  fdling  the  cell,  and  in 
the  centre  of  the  cloud  were  luminous  characters,  which 
he  read  thus  :  "  Sell  not  thy  daughter  to  the  duke." 

The  apparition  vanished  almost  as  soon  as  he  had  deci- 
phered the  words.  Raina  fell  back  against  the  wall  of 
Ins  cell,  and  awoke. 

It  was  long  before  he  could  collect  his  scattered  facul- 
ties, and  what  were  left  to  him  seemed  steeped  in  illusion ; 
he  could  only  wonder,  and  bow  in  mystified  adoration 
before  the  niche  in  his  cell 


102  ROMANCE  OF  THE  HAREM. 


I 


CHAPTER    XI. 

THE  HEROISM  OF  A  CHILD. 

T  was  morning.  All  were  assembled  once  more  in  the 
great  hall,  eager  for  a  termination  of  their  work. 

Fresh  troops  of  men  to  be  enrolled  and  branded  arrived 
every  moment. 

Then  came  Nai  Dhamaphat;  the  Kromathan,  or  overseer; 
and  lastly  the  Grand  Duke,  followed  by  an  army  of  slaves, 
attendants,  scribes,  and  cup  and  punka  bearers.  As  he 
looked  about  him  he  saw,  with  a  gleam  of  satisfaction, 
the  veiled  figure  seated  at  her  post,  guarded  by  Amazons. 

After  a  few  minutes  of  conversation  with  the  scribe 
who  sat  at  his  side,  he  ordered  the  prisoner  Eama  Singa- 
lee  to  be  brought  in. 

No  one  remembered  when  the  old,  white-headed  stran- 
ger was  ushered  in.  But  every  one  heard  the  wild  cry 
of  joy  that  seemed  to  die  away  on  the  lips  of  the  strange 
girl,  as,  throwing  off  her  saree,  she  sprang  across  the  hall, 
and  clasped  the  old  man  about  the  neck.  After  the  first 
paroxysm  of  joy  was  over,  she  realized  that  her  father  was 
a  prisoner ;  she  looked  still  hopefully  into  his  face,  but, 
seeing  no  light  there,  laid  her  head  upon  the  fetters  that 
bound  his  feet,  as  if  the  iron  had  entered  into  her  very 
soul. 

Dhamaphat  started,  as  if  struck,  and  gazed  sadly  at  the 
girl  and  her  father. 

Never  scene  so  touching  had  been  presented  in  that 
hall  before.  It  arrested  every  eye,  and  filled  every  heart 
with  sympathy  ;  and  it  was  no  wonder,  —  the  girl  was  a 
creature  such  as  that  country  had  never  before  produced. 


THE  HEROISM   OF   A  CHILD.  103 

Her  beauty  was  of  the  purest  Indo-European  type,  rich 
blown  complexion,  delicate  almond-shaped  eyes,  finely 
arched  eyebrows,  nose  almost  Greek  in  the  purity  of  its 
outlines.  Her  feet,  which  had  never  worn  either  sandals 
or  ahoeSj  were  large  and  perfect  in  shape;  her  arms,  slen- 
der as  those  of  a  very  young  girl,  were  set  off  to  great 
advantage  by  the  metallic  and  glass  bangles  she  wore  ;  her 
rich  black  hair  hung  in  long  braids  over  a  coarse  blue 
bodice,  which  revealed  a  form  of  faultless  proportions; 
on  her  breast,  suspended  by  a  yellow  cord,  was  a  flat  silver 
ring,  on  which  some  mystic  characters  were  inscribed. 

The  wondrous  beauty  of  the  prostrate  girl  filled  the 
father  and  the  son  first  with  pleasure,  then  with  fascina- 
tion, afterwards  with  rapture;  drawn  on  by  irresistible 
steps,  they  both  arrived,  unknown  to  the  other,  at  that 
stage  of  passion  which  blinds  the  sensibilities  to  every- 
thing else. 

But  the  desire  of  one  was  to  possess,  the  other  to  res- 
cue. 

The  old  soldier  did  not  attempt  to  raise  his  daughter, 
but,  taking  off  Ms  turban,  buried  his  face  in  it. 

The  duke  was  transported,  stupefied ;  he  paused,  hesi- 
tated, then,  suddenly,  without  knowing  what  moved  him, 
he  said,  in  a  gentle,  tender  voice  :  "  Why,  girl  ?  Raise  up 
your  head.    See  !  your  father  is  now  going  to  be  set  free." 

Siuavatee  lifted  up  her  head,  and  looked  at  the  speaker 
with  an  expression  of  childlike  gladness  and  trust  that 
brought  to  the  heart  of  the  wretch  before  her  the  long- 
lost  sense  of  shame,  and  he  could  not  for  the  moment 
give  utterance  to  the  iniquity  he  was  about  to  perpetrate 
against  her;  he  beckoned  to  an  attendant,  however,  a  sort 
of  treasurer,  with  a  heavy  box,  who  approached,  crawling, 
and  at  Ins  instructions  counted  upon  the  floor  forty  pieces 
of  gold,  —  sixteen  times  the  value  of  an  ordinary  slave- 
woman. 


104  ROMANCE  OF  THE  HAREM. 

Kama  still  covered  his  face  with  his  turban,  so  that 
none  could  have  told  what  was  passing  within  him. 
His  daughter  laid  her  hand  upon  his  arm,  saying :  "  0, 
my  father,  the  good  duke  gives  us  all  this  gold  and 
promises  us  freedom  !  take  it,  and  thank  him,  that  he  may 
permit  us  to  return  home." 

The  unhappy  Rajpoot  turned  a  look  full  of  mournful 
tenderness  upon  his  child.  At  the  same  moment  the 
scribe,  who  had  been  industriously  writing,  laid  a  paper 
before  him,  and  said,  in  rather  an  authoritative  manner : 
"  Tham  Khai  khat  thecleo  "  (make  the  sale  good,  i.  e.,  sign 
the  paper). 

Even  now  it  did  not  occur  to  the  girl  what  the  paper 
and  the  forty  pieces  of  gold  meant. 

To  her  mind  they  brought  visions  of  freedom,  as  her 
heart  yearned  for  the  hills  and  groves  of  her  native  land. 
She  once  more  whispered  to  her  father  to  "take  the 
money,  and  thank  the  duke,  that  he  may  let  us  go  back 
home." 

But  the  old  man  looked  at  her  in  silence,  seemingly 
unable  to  utter  a  single  word ;  his  breathing  came  quick 
and  hard,  and  all  at  once  he  gasped  out :  "  The  gods  for- 
bid me  to  sell  my  daughter  to  thee,  my  lord.  Indra, 
Agni,  and  the  Maruts,  at  whose  roaring  every  dweller 
upon  earth  trembles,  forbid  me.  0,  pardon  thy  servant, 
my  lord,  and  let  us  depart  hence  in  peace." 

The  duke  was  doubly  enraged,  because  of  his  last 
night's  promise  and  the  forty  pieces  of  gold  with  which 
he  had  hoped  to  bribe  him  into  an  easy  parting  with  his 
child.  He  turned  to  the  bewildered  Smayatee,  and  said  : 
"  Come  hither,  girl"  But  as  she  only  looked  at  him,  and 
made  no  attempt  to  go  nearer,  he  added :  "  One  thing  is 
certain  ;  this  old  fool,  thy  father,  is  still  drunk,  and  knows 
not  his  mind ;  he  sold  you  to  me  last  night,  and  now  he 
refuses,  saying  the  gods  forbid  it." 


A    Y 


K    NOBLEMAN. 


THE   HEROISM   OF  A   CHILD.  105 

Smayatee  turned  from  the  duke  to  her  father,  her  look 
ghftTiging  from  incredulity  to  surprise,  from  surprise  to 
anguish,  while  the  duke  continued:  "Now  it  is  you  who 
must  decide  for  him  ;  shall  I  hand  him  over  to  the  royal 
judges  to  be  tried  and  executed  for  the  crime  he  is  ac- 
cused of,  or  will  you  consent  to  be  my  slave  for  Life  ?  I 
will  make  you  rich  and  happy,  and  I  will  give  him  this 
gold,  and  he  shall  return  in  safety  to  his  home." 

He  uttered  these  sentences  in  a  loud,  harsh  voice,  very 
different  from  that  in  which  he  had  spoken  to  her  a  few 
minutes  before. 

When  he  had  finished,  the  crowd  cheered  the  speech. 

The  girl  looked  at  them,  and,  not  knowing  why,  began 
to  cry. 

This  exasperated  the  duke. 

He  blew  a  small  silver  whistle;  instantly  a  band  of 
armed  men  entered  the  hall,  and  he  gave  orders  that  the 
prisoner  should  be  conveyed  to  the  supreme  court  to  be 
tried  for  attacking  the  chief  officer  of  the  royal  guard, 
with  intent  to  murder  him,  while  he  was  on  duty. 

At  this  instant  the  girl  seemed  to  take  her  resolution ; 
she  crawled  up  to  the  savage  duke's  feet,  laid  her  head 
down  upon  them  and  kissed  them,  saying :  "  I  consent  to 
be  thy-  slave,  my  lord.  0,  give  not  my  father  up  to  the 
king's  officers." 

The  duke  countermanded  his  orders. 

"Yes,"  said  she,  her  face  suddenly  transfigured,  beam- 
ing with  the  twofold  radiance  of  beauty  and  nobility  of 
soul,  "strike  off  his  chains,  and  let  him  go  free,  dear, 
good  lord." 

There  were  no  longer  any  arms  being  pricked  with 
lancet-shaped  needles.  There  wrere  no  longer  any  scribes 
enrolling  the  people's  names.  There  were  only  fixed 
eyes,  listening  ears,  and  beatings  of  sympathetic  hearts. 
The  crowd  was  dimly  conscious  of  the  sublimity  of  the 

5* 


106  ROMANCE  OF  THE  HAKEM. 

act ;  they  were  thrilled,  awed,  as  much  by  her  beauty  as 
by  the  simplicity  of  her  heroic  self-sacrifice. 

But  Dhamaphat,  who  felt  more  deeply  than  the  rest, 
noted  how  suddenly  she  had  overcome  her  horror,  how 
readily  she  had  sacrificed  herself  for  her  father,  and 
thought  he  saw  in  her  face  the  effulgence  of  a  heavenly 
light. 

The  order  was  given,  and  the  Eajpoot  was  free.  One 
final  embrace,  one  look  of  triumph  and  despair  from  the 
girl,  and  she  was  led  away  by  some  female  attendants. 

Eama  disappeared  in  the  crowd,  regardless  of  the  gold, 
and  the  paper  which  his  daughter  had  signed. 

The  work  of  branding  and  enrolling  went  on  again,  and 
the  red  light  of  the  noonday  sun  shone  upon  the  walls  of 
the  palace  as  if  no  young  heart  had  been  broken  within  its 
halls  that  day. 

Dhamaphat  left  his  work  and  went  away,  cursing  the 
old  priest,  his  tutor,  and  himself,  in  the  impotency  of  his 
rage  and  sorrow. 


INTBB10B  OF  DIKE  CHOW  PHAYA  MAHMBEffS  HAREM.    107 


CHAPTER    XII. 

THE  INTERIOR  OF  THE  DUKE   CHOW   P'HAYA  MAND- 
tree's  HAREM. 


E 


VERY  harem  is  a  little  world  in  itself,  composed  en- 
^J  tirely  of  women,  —  some  who  rule,  others  who  obey, 
and  those  who  serve.     Here  disinterestedness  vanishes 
out  of  sight.     Each  one  is  for  herself     They  are  nearly 
all  young  women,  but  they  have  the  appearance  of  being 
dightly  blighted      Nobody  is  too  much  in  earnest,  or  too 
much  alive°,  or  too  happy.     The  general  atmosphere  is 
that  of  depression.     They  are  bound  to  have  no  thought 
for  the  world  they  have  quitted,  however  pleasant  it  may 
have  been;  to  ignore  all  ties  and  affections;  to  have  no 
care  but  for  one  individual  alone,  and  that  the  master. 
But  if  you  became  acquainted  with  some  of  these  very 
women  under  favorable  conditions,  —  very  rare,  however, 
—  you  might  gather  glimpses  of  recollections  of  the  outer 
world,  of°earlier  life    and   strong   affections,  of   hearts 
scarred  and  disfigured  and  broken,  of  suppressed  sighs 
and  unuttered  sobs,  that  would  dispose  you  to  melancholy 
reflections  and  sad  forebodings,  and,  if  you  were  by  nature 
tender,  to  shedding  of  tears.     Their  dress  and   manners 
often  betray  all  sorts  of  peculiarities,  and  yet  all  is  har- 
monious outwardly.     They  are  unconscious  of  the  terrible 
defacement  they  have  undergone.     Yet  it  sometimes  hap- 
pens that  this  same  little  world  has  its  greatness,  and  al- 
ways when  a  woman  becomes  a  mother  her  life  changes ; 
she  passes  from  the  ignoble  to  the  noble ;  then  she  be- 
comes pure,  worthy,  honorable. 

The   wall   that   surrounded   the    duke's    palaces    and 


108  ROMANCE  OF  THE  HAEEM. 

temples  enclosed  also  about  five  hundred  houses,  with 
gardens  and  artificial  lakes  and  fountains  and  aviaries. 
Most  of  the  houses  were  built  of  solid  masonry,  with  here 
and  there  a  theatre  of  carved  wood ;  the  streets  were  nar- 
row, and  the  covered  bazaars  in  no  way  remarkable  except 
for  the  shops  of  female  jewellers,  gold  and  silversmiths. 
All  the  palaces  and  temples  faced  the  river.  The  oldest 
Hindoo  temple  stood  here,  beside  a  Buddhist  temple  and 
monastery,  from  which  the  priests  who  officiated  in  the 
duke's  household  were  supplied.  The  most  remarkable 
edifice,  however,  was  the  duke's  tower,  or  summer-house, 
of  four  lofty  stories,  opening  all  round  into  arches,  made 
entirely  of  carved  wood,  and  richly  gilt.  It  commanded 
a  magnificent  view  of  the  river,  and  overlooked  more 
than  one  half  of  the  city  of  Bangkok.  When  you  mount 
the  highest  chamber,  you  open  your  eyes  upon  a  scene  too 
solemnly  and  mysteriously  beautiful  to  be  adequately  de- 
scribed. You  seem  to  be  midway  in  the  air,  looking 
down  upon  a  city  of  temples  and  palaces,  gardens,  lakes, 
minarets,  pagodas  and  p'hra-chai-dees ;  thousands  of  boats 
glide  noiselessly  over  the  silver  floor  that  winds  on  for- 
ever. The  great  height  hushes  out  even  the  joyous  voices 
that  are  hushed  nowhere  else.  In  the  gloom  at  the  upper 
end  of  the  river  many  a  boatman,  perched  on  the  prow  of 
his  boat,  seems  like  the  Angel  of  Death  guiding  some  help- 
less passenger  to  the  silent  shore.  And  overhead  the 
sky  looks  like  some  blue  door,  such  as  must  lead  straight 
into  heaven. 

In  every  ducal  or  royal  harem  there  are  a  great  many 
buildings  designed  and  built  for  the  express  purpose  of 
training  and  educating  the  women,  and  every  girl  has  to 
go  through  certain  forms  and  observances  before  she  is 
admitted  among  the  favored  ones. 

The  female  teachers,  physicians,  and  judges,  who  are 
placed  over  them,  generally  receive  a  careful  professional 


INTERIOR  OF  DUKE  CHOW  P'HAYA  MANDTREE'S  HAREM.    109 

education, — the  best  the  country  can  supply.  Mere  chil- 
dren are  often  taken  into  these  places  and  trained  to  be 
actresses,  dancers,  musicians,  and  singers. 

Every  department  has  a  superintendent,  who  is  general- 
ly a  lady  of  high  rank,  and  is  responsible  to  the  duke 
only. 

The  mode  of  teaching  in  the  schools  is  peculiar;  no 
books  are  used  by  the  pupils,  who  are  placed  in  rows, 
with  female  officers  in  attendance  to  administer  the  rattan 
in  all  cases  of  inattention.  The  teacher  either  reads  or 
sings  the  first  line  of  a  poem,  or  plays  the  first  bar  of  an 
air ;  the  head  pupil  repeats  it  after  her,  and  so  on  to  the 
last  girl  in  the  class ;  then  all  together,  until  they  have 
learned  it  by  heart.  Dancing  and  gymnastics  are  taught 
in  the  same  way. 

Often  a  hundred  different  airs  and  poems  are  committed 
to  memory  by  very  young  girls,  who  are  thus  converted 
into  walking  libraries. 

Smayatee  was  led  into  the  adytum  of  the  duke's  pal- 
ace, conducted  to  a  small  chamber,  and  left  there  ;  while 
her  guards  betook  themselves  to  their  dinner.  Very 
soon,  the  rumor  of  her  great  beauty  having  spread,  nearly 
all  the  lovely  girls  in  the  harem  rushed  in  to  get  a 
glimpse  of  her ;  but  finding  her  closely  veiled,  and  that 
no  persuasion  could  prevail  with  her  to  uncover  her  face, 
they  gradually  departed,  one  young  woman  only  remain- 
ing behi ml,  sitting  apart  in  silent  sympathy. 

After  a  while  two  female  physicians  came  in,  talking 
in  low  tones  one  to  the  other.  They  then  proceeded  to 
question  the  girl,  and  to  all  of  their  questions  she  re- 
turned modest  replies ;  after  they  were  satisfied  they  bade 
her  unrobe,  which  she  did  with  some  little  hesitancy. 
When  she  laid  aside  her  veil,  her  eyes  met  those  of  her 
silent  visitor;  an  indescribable  something  beamed  from 
every  feature  of  the  stranger,  and  they  became  friends. 


110  ROMANCE  OF  THE  HAREM. 

The  physicians  then  examined  the  girl,  just  as  if  she 
were  an  animal ;  having  finished  their  inventory  of  her 
perfections  and  imperfections,  they  dropped  a  few- 
pleasant  words,  and  departed.  Smayatee  had  no  sooner 
dressed  herself  and  taken  her  place  close  to  her  new 
friend,  and  they  had  in  the  brief  moment  exchanged 
names,  when  another  batch  of  women  appeared,  and 
told  her  to  follow  them.  She  rose,  and  went  out,  holding 
her  new  friend's  hand.  After  passing  through  a  dark 
and  silent  street,  they  brought  her  to  a  marble  building, 
with  baths  and  fountains  all  round  it.  Here  she  was 
again  told  to  undress,  and  take  her  place  on  a  marble 
couch.  With  her  eyes  she  pleadingly  besought  her 
friend  to  stay,  who  did  so,  seated,  leaning  against  a  pillar. 
The  bathers  then  anointed  Smayatee's  person  with  a 
fragrant  preparation ;  when  she  was  completely  besmeared 
they  suspended  their  labors,  in  order  to  let  the  stuff  dry 
on  the  poor  girl,  who  knew  no  more  what  was  going  to 
be  done  to  her  than  if  she  had  been  a  little  kitten ;  and 
as  she  sat  there,  her  skin  glowing  and  her  heart  palpitat- 
ing, she  heard  herself  discussed  by  the  bathers,  whose 
language  she  only  partially  understood.  But  she  heard 
enough  to  realize  the  life  in  store  for  herself.  After  half 
an  hour  they  seized  her  again,  rubbed  off  briskly  the 
dried  paste,  and  showered  buckets  of  hot  and  cold  water 
upon  her.  Another  set  of  women  now  took  charge  of 
the  poor  girl,  and  dressed  her  in  beautiful  silk  robes,  like 
those  worn  by  the  Loatian  women  of  high  rank.  Her 
'hair  was  combed,  perfumed,  and  ornamented  with  flowers, 
finally  she  was  conducted  to  a  pretty  little  house,  luxu- 
riously fitted  up,  and  left  in  the  charge  of  a  number  of 
female  slaves. 

Smayatee  now  wore  a  new  veil  of  Indian  gauze,  but  she 
would  rather  have  kept  the  old  one.  She  cowered  down 
in  a  corner,  and  laid  her  tired  head  in  the  lap  of  her  new 


INTERIOR  OF  DUKE  CHOW  P'HAYA  MANDTREE'S  HAREM.    Ill 

friend,  who  began  patting  and  soothing  her,  without  utter- 
in--  a  single  word. 

Most  girls,  as  soon  as  they  have  overcome  the  horror 
which  such  a  life  must  naturally  inspire  in  the  young 
and  enthusiastic,  begin  to  calculate  on  their  chances  of 
promotion  to  the  highest  place  in  the  harem. 

As  for  Smayatee,  no  thought  but  of  escape*  presented 
itself  to  her  mind;  her  nature  wTas  too  wild  and  untamed 
to  be  flattered  by  the  luxuries  that  now  surrounded  her ; 
she  looked  upon  them  only  as  so  many  fetters.  All  kinds 
of  wild  plans  for  running  away  took  violent  possession 
of  her  brain ;  but  the  soothing  influence  of  the  bath,  com- 
bined with  the  exhaustion  of  the  day,  overcame  her,  and 
she  was  soon  sound  asleep. 


112  ROMANCE  OF  THE  HAREM. 


CHAPTEK    XIII. 

A  NIGHT  OF  MYSTERIES. 

MAI  CHANDKA,  Smayatee's  new  friend,  redoubled 
her  tenderness  and  sisterly  love  for  the  poor,  for- 
lorn girl  when  she  found  that  she  was  asleep.  As  mid- 
night approached,  she  gently  placed  her  head  on  a 
cushion,  and  then  went  home  to  her  supper,  deeply  in 
love  with  the  beautiful  stranger. 

The  Duke  Chow  P'haya  Mandtree's  pavilion  was 
thronged,  as  usual,  with  courtiers  and  nobles.  All  manner 
of  attractions  and  diversions  were  there.  The  duke  him- 
self, partly  intoxicated,  sat  amidst  them,  boasting  of  the 
rare  purchase  he  had  made  that  day  :  "  She  is  so  beautiful," 
said  he  to  one  of  his  boon  companions,  "that  she  in- 
spires me  as  this  glass  of  English  brandy  does."  And  he 
filled  and  refilled  the  jewelled  goblet  out  of  which  he 
drank. 

This  man,  in  his  whole  person,  was  a  type  of  many  who 
may  be  seen  any  day  in  Siam,  —  a  human  being  sunk  in  the 
lowest  depths  of  sensualism  and  savage  barbarity.  From 
his  hair,  which  was  a  dull  gray,  his  wrinkled  brow,  his 
livid  lips  and  watery  eyes,  there  breathed  forth  an  atmos- 
phere which  would  have  repelled  even  the  mother  who 
bore  him. 

At  one  time  it  was  his  intention  to  have  Smayatee 
brought  into  the  pavilion,  that  his  friends  might  judge  of 
her  beauty ;  but,  with  his  faculties  already  greatly  enfeebled 
by  the  immoderate  use  of  English  brandy,  he  forgot  his 
purpose. 

At  length  the  distant  sounds  of  trumpets,  conch-shells, 


A  NIGHT  OF   MYSTERIES.  113 

and  the  ringing  of  multitudinous  pagoda-bells  proclaimed 
the  last  hour  of  day,  —  i.  e.  midnight.  The  nobles,  cour- 
tiers, and  friends  retired  and  some  elderly  female  atten- 
dants appeared  ;  to  them  the  duke  gave  orders  to  have  the 
new  slave-girl  conducted  to  the  upper  story  of  his  sum- 
mer tower. 

The  day  had  been  hot  and  sultry ;  no  clouds  were  to  be 
seen,  except  low  on  the  eastern  horizon,  where  they 
stretched  in  lengthened  ridges  of  gold  and  purple,  like 
the  border  between  earth  and  sky. 

As  the  women  departed  on  their  mission,  a  dark,  heavy 
mass  of  clouds  rose  in  the  black  outline  of  the  distant 
hills.  A  sudden  gust  of  wind,  in  fits  and  starts  and 
snatches,  came  sweeping  up  the  river,  and  tossed  its 
waters  wildly  against  the  banks  ;  then  flashed  incessant 
lightnings,  and  the  winds  rang  and  roared  as  though  they 
heralded  with  joy  the  coming  thunder-storm.  Suddenly 
the  moon  was  blurred  with  clouds,  and  the  tempest  raged 
outright.  In  the  midst  of  the  storm  the  poor  terrified 
girl  was  roused  from  her  slumbers,  led  to  the  lofty  cham- 
ber, and  left  alone,  while  the  attendants  retired  to  one  of 
the  little  alcoves  to  be  in  waiting. 

Rama  —  who  had  that  day  made  a  circuit  of  the  walls, 
and  had  promenaded  every  nook  and  corner  in  the  vain 
hope  of  finding  some  means  of  getting,  unseen,  into  the 
duke's  palace,  had  hired  a  boat,  and  was  sailing  wildly 
up  and  down  the  river  in  front  of  it,  laying  desperate 
plans  of  finding  his  daughter  and  carrying  her  off  at 
any  risk  and  peril  — was  at  the  same  moment,  by  one 
mighty  sweep  of  the  water,  dashed  on  the  banks  that 
bounded  on  one  side  the  gardens  and  temples  of  the  pal- 
ace. He  staggered  to  his  feet,  and  raised  his  head  to  the 
dreadful  sky.  A  sudden  flash  of  lightning  revealed  the 
gilded  top  of  the  lofty  summer  tower  and  the  tapering 
summits  of  the  Buddhist  and  Hindoo  temples. 


114  ROMANCE  OF  THE  HAREM. 

With  a  dreadful  purpose  burning  in  his  heart,  he 
walked  straight  on  to  the  latter  building,  which  was  dim- 
ly lighted,  and  stood  open  as  if  inviting  him  to  take 
shelter  under  its  sacred  roof.  He  entered.  Happy  mem- 
ories, every  sweet  emotion  he  had  known,  came  crowding 
upon  him,  as  he  once  more  recognized,  in  the  partial  dark- 
ness, the  faint  outlines  of  the  images  of  his  long-forgotten 
gods,  Davee  and  Indra  and  Dhupiya. 

There  is  compensation  in  all  things.  He  had  lost  his 
child,  and  found  his  gods.  Joy  and  sorrow  are  bound  up 
in'  every  event  of  life,  —  even  as  opposite  poles  are  in- 
separable in  the  magnet.  The  pity  is  that  the  night  of 
trouble  is  at  times  so  dark  that  the  interwoven  gold  with 
which  Providence  relieves  the  woof  of  calamity  remains 
undiscovered. 

Thus  it  was  with  Rama ;  there  was  joy  and*  sorrow  in 
his  heart  as  he  bowed  before  the  gods  of  his  fathers,  but 
there  was  hatred  and  revenge  there  too,  mingled  with 
dark  and  bloody  thoughts. 

"  Life  is  now  a  useless  gift,  an  insupportable  burden," 
groaned  Rama. 

In  how  many  lives  there  lurks  a  hidden  romance 
or  a  hidden  terror.  No  one  was  near  to  mark  the 
secret  workings  of  this  terrible  man's  nature.  He  re- 
called his  home  on  the  hills  of  Orissa,  the  yearly  sacri- 
fice that  his  fathers  had  been  wont  to  offer  up  on  Davee's 
altar,  and  he  suddenly  resolved  that  he  would  himself  be 
the  sacrifice  to  his  long-forgotten  and  neglected  gods. 

Only  one  person  could  have  saved  him  from  his  rash 
purpose,  and  she  was  sitting  up  there  alone,  midway  be- 
tween earth  and  heaven.  He  slowly  drew  out  from  his 
cumberbund  a  glittering  knife,  and  his  expression  became 
exultant  as  he  felt  its  sharp  edge. 

Not  all  the  gods,  not  all  the  love-lit  eyes,  not  all  the 
hills  of  Orissa,  can  move  him  from  his  purpose  now.     He 


A   NIGHT   OF   MYSTERIES.  115 

laid  the  knife  upon  the  altar,  and  cried  aloud  to  the  in- 
Batiable  Earth  Goddess. 

"  O  Davee,  thou  hast  been  unworshipped  for  years ; 
multitudes  crowd  thy  sister  temples,  but  thine  they  pass 
unnoticed  by.  Behold  my  child  now  in  the  grasp  of  the 
spoiler.  Defend,  preserve  her,  that  her  honor  may  shine 
bright  among  men,  and  I  will  pour  out  to  thee  the  life 
of  my  heart.  Drink  of  my  blood,  and  be  revenged  on 
the  defiler  of  my  house  and  my  race." 

Then,  snatching  up  the  knife,  he  waved  it  thrice  over 
his  head,  and  thrust  it  into  his  side.  Leaning  forward,  he 
tried  to  picture  his  child's  face,  but  could  not  for  the  light 
that  love  threw  around  her,  and  the  mist  that  death 
wrapped  round  him  ;  he  drew  nearer  to  his  childhood's 
God,  and,  drawing  out  the  knife,  fell  down  at  its  feet,  turn- 
ing up  his  face  to  it,  reverently,  lovingly;  and  there 
was  joy — joy  of  conscious  strength,  of  victory  —  ming- 
ling with  the  life-blood  of  the  heart  that  was  fast  flowing 
away  forever. 

It  is  two  o'clock.  The  night  is  changed.  The  storms 
and  clouds  and  darkness  are  all  dispersed.  The  blue  sky 
has  thrown  aside  her  veils,  and  the  moon  rides  serenely 
in  limitless  range,  undimmed  by  a  single  fleck  of  cloud. 
The  very  air  breathes  sweetness  and  perfume  and  peace. 

But  of  all  the  mysteries  of  the  night  there  is  one  yet 
to  be  solved. 

Smayatee  still  sits  on  one  of  the  sills  of  the  arches  in 
the  topmost  chamber  of  the  summer  tower,  nearest  to 
where  the  women  have  retired  out  of  sight.  She  hears 
them  whispering.  She  hears,  too,  some  one  slowly  mount- 
ing the  stairs ;  the  footsteps  are  heavy,  and  sound  like 
those  of  an  aged  man.  She  looks  around  to  see  if  there 
is  any  way  by  which  she  may  escape.  The  tower  has 
but  a  single  spiral  stairway.  She  remains  still  and  mo- 
tionless.    In  a  few  minutes  the  sound  of  the  footsteps 


116  ROMANCE  OF  THE  HAREM. 

comes  nearer ;  through  the  archway  opposite,  the  totter- 
ing figure  of  a  dark,  heavy  man  enters  and  approaches 
her.  In  the  dim  light  she  looks  up  at  him  with  a  terror- 
stricken,  pleading  face,  daring  neither  to  breathe  nor  speak ; 
she  shrinks  away  to  the  other  side,  where  the  women  are 
in  waiting.  The  duke,  rather  admiring  her  coyness, 
laughs  a  drunken  laugh,  and  attempts  to  follow  her.  In 
crossing  the  threshold  he  stumbles.  In  trying  to  recover 
his  footing  he  is  thrown  back.  His  head  strikes  violently 
against  a  massive  gold  spittoon. 

A  wild  cry,  and  Smayatee  rushes  from  her  hiding- 
place,  springs  across  the  prostrate  figure,  down  the  flights 
of  stairs,  and  through  the  labyrinths  of  flowering  shrubs 
and  plants,  to  hide  herself  beside  a  low  tank  of  water. 

The  attendants  and  slaves  who  were  lying  around 
heard  wild  cries  for  help  proceeding  from  the  summer 
tower,  and  hurried  to  the  spot  with  lamps  and  lanterns. 
All  the  piazzas,  streets,  gardens,  and  avenues  are  alive 
with  anxious  faces  and  inquiring  looks. 

The  duchess's  fears  are  aroused.  She  too  summons  her 
maidens  with  their  lanterns,  and  sets  out  for  the  tower. 

Suddenly  she  stops. 

A  few  steps  from  her  she  sees  an  object  dressed  in 
bright  colors,  crouching  in  a  pool  of  rain-water  by  the 
tank.  She  stooped  to  scrutinize  the  figure,  and  found  it 
was  that  of  a  young  and  strange  girl.  She  bent  over  her 
again,  and  said,  gently,  "  Why  art  thou  hiding  here,  my 
child  ? " 

"  I  am  afraid  of  him,  dear  lady,"  replied  the  girl,  point- 
ing to  the  lofty  chamber. 

"  Afraid !  art  thou,  indeed  ? "  said  she,  a  little  coldly, 
remembering  the  news  of  the  day ;  "  didst  thou  not  sell 
thyself  to  the  duke  in  spite  of  thy  fathers  wishes  ? " 

"  0  yes,  I  did,  dear  lady,"  replied  Smayatee ;  "  but  —  " 
and  she  began  to  cry  bitterly,  and  could  not  say  another 
word  for  her  tears  and  sobs. 


A  NIGHT  OF  MYSTERIES.  117 

The  tnie  woman  triumphed  in  the  "  wife,"  for  she  put 
out  her  arms,  and  raised  the  forlorn  stranger  to  her  bosom, 
and  comforted  her  with  such  words  as  women  who  have 
great  and  loving  hearts  only  can.  Then,  confiding  her  to 
the  tender  care  of  her  own  women,  she  went  on  her  way 
to  find  out  the  meaning  of  those  dreadful  cries. 

Xai  Dhaniaphat,  who  had  been  watching  in  sadness 
and  despair  the  marvellous  expression  of  Nature's  tears 
and  smiles,  was  the  first  to  mount  the  spiral  staircase,  to 
find  his  father  in  the  last  agonies  of  death.  He  takes 
him  up  gently,  with  the  assistance  of  the  women,  and 
places  him  on  his  luxurious  couch. 

The  duke  is  dead. 

Everything  is  forgotten.  He  sees  the  pale  face  of  the 
duchess,  his  mother,  that  silent  woman,  and,  catching  a 
glimpse  of  the  bitter  sorrow  of  that  patient  soul,  who 
was  so  worthy  of  his  father's  love  in  her  right  of  youth 
and  beauty,  —  the  foremost  to  love  him,  the  last  and  only 
woman  of  all  those  whom  he  had  wronged  to  mourn  him, — 
he  bows  his  head  and  weeps.  The  son  and  the  mother 
are  drawn  closer  than  ever.  They  two  had  suffered  in 
silence  apart.     Now  they  sorrowed  together. 


118  ROMANCE  OF  THE  HAREM. 


CHAPTER  XIV. 

"WEEPING   MAY  ENDURE    FOR  A  NIGHT,  BUT  JOY 
COMETH   IN   THE   MORNING." 

AYEAE  has  passed  since  the  occurrence  of  the  fear- 
ful events  here  related. 
.  The  river  in  front  of  the  palace  is  thronged  with  a 
numerous  procession  of  gayly  gilded  boats  and  barges. 

It  is  the  morning  after  the  cremation  of  the  Duke 
Chow  Phaya  Mandtree. 

The  king,  with  sixty  or  more  nobles  and  princes  of  the 
land,  all  armed  and  in  regal  attire,  presides  in  the  grand 
hall  of  the  late  duke's  palace. 

The  duchess  and  her  two  sons,  and  a  fair  sprinkling  of 
Siamese  ladies  and  children,  are  here  assembled.  A  vast 
number  of  serfs,  soldiers,  pages,  and  women  are  in  wait- 
ing. 

Around  the  deep  embrasure  formed  by  the  windows  in 
the  massive  wall,  there  ran  a  low  seat,  the  space  thus 
occupied  being  raised  as  a  kind  of  dais  above  the  general 
level  of  the  floor.  Here  were  seated  on  either  side  of  the 
wall  the  principal  officers,  male  and  female,  of  the  duke's 
household,  headed  by  the  priests  of  Brahma  and  of  Bud- 
dha, who  were  to  play  a  part  in  the  important  drama  of 
the  day. 

The  hall  is  hung  with  tapestry  of  the  most  original 
design,  for  the  birds  and  beasts  and  flowers  which  are 
pictured  there  had  surely  never  prototypes,  unless  in 
some  lost  geological  formation,  though  patterns  very  like 
them  seemed  to  be  unanimously  adopted  as  models  by  all 
the  fair  embroideresses  of  Siam. 


"WEEPING   MAY   ENDURE  FOR  A  NIGHT."  119 

In  the  middle  of  the  dais  were  two  ducal  chairs  of 
state.  On  one  was  seated  a  young  girl,  very  closely  veiled, 
on  the  other  the  young  duke,  now  Chow  Fhaya  Dhania- 
phat ;  over  them  is  spread  a  canopy  of  white  muslin,  dec- 
orated with  the  sweetest  white  flowers. 

The  -ill,  beneath  her  white  veil,  thinks  it  all  perfection, 
and  her  eyes  light  up,  and  her  cheeks  burn,  and  her  heart 
heals  in  perplexing  fashion;  and  Dhaniaphat  believes  that 
he  alone  holds  the  key  to  the  temple  of  Elysium. 

It  is  one  of  those  rare  occasions  when  the  whole  as- 
sembly is  rapt  in  the  regions  of  fancy. 

The  old  priest,  Fhra  Chow  Saduman  is  there  too,  and 
he  often  raises  his  eyes  in  admiration,  and  his  heart  in 
prophecy  of  a  propitious  marriage.  At  length  he  begins 
the  grand,  old,  harmonious  nuptial  chant,  and  all  the 
priests  of  Buddha  and  of  Brahma  join  in  sonorous  concert, 
and  through  the  canopy  over  the  happy  couple  the  typi- 
cal waters  of  consecration,  in  which  had  been  previously 
infused  certain  leaves  and  shrubs  emblematic  of  purity, 
sweetness,  and  usefulness,  are  gently  showered. 

And  now  Smayatee's  earnest  friend,  Mai  Chandra,  with 
her  tender  mother-in-law,  the  duchess,  conduct  her,  all 
dripping,  by  a  screened  passage,  to  a  chamber  magnificent- 
ly appointed,  where  she  is  divested  of  her  former  apparel, 
and  arrayed  in  robes  becoming  her  now  lofty  station. 

Then  Chow  Fhaya  Dhaniaphat  is  ushered  in.  At  the 
moment  of  his  entrance  Smayatee  rises  to  throw  herself 
at  his  feet,  according  to  the  custom  of  the  country; 
but  he  prevents  her,  embraces  her  in  the  European 
manner,  and  presents  her,  standing  upright  by  his  side, 
to  his  relatives,  with  which  the  ceremony  for  the  day 
terminates. 

There  is  a  general  move  towards  the  gateway  by 
which  Fhra  Chow  Saduman  is  to  pass.  All,  even  the 
king,  press  to  the  front  and  fall  on  their  knees  to  ask  his 


120  ROMANCE  OF  THE  HAREM. 

blessing.  He  blesses  them  in  a  broken  voice ;  lie  is 
strangely  moved  to-day. 

Yet  another  year,  and  in  this  same  palace  nowhere 
will  you  find  a  trace  of  either  Dhamaphat,  Smayatee,  or 
the  gentle  duchess.  A  younger  brother  fills  his  place, 
and  is  lord  over  all,  following  closely  in  the  footsteps  of 
his  late  father. 

Far  away,  near  the  suburbs  of  Bijree  Puree,  i.  e.  the 
Diamond  City,  stands  a  lovely  little  cottage,  where  the 
ex-duke,  his  mother,  and  his  sweet  wife  reside.  He  has 
freely  resigned  all  the  splendor  and  state  of  his  position 
for  the  quiet  and  peace  of  a  country  life ;  and  nothing  is 
wanting  here.  The  grand  old  trees  are  dressed  in  tender 
green,  and  the  bright  sun  touches  with  its  golden-yellow 
light  every  nook  and  corner  of  the  lovely  scene  around. 

The  cottage  within  is  furnished  partly  in  the  European 
and  partly  in  the  Oriental  style.  There  are  here  no 
slaves,  but  hired  servants,  who  have  an  air  of  freedom, 
loyalty,  and  comfort  about  them  very  delightful  to 
witness. 

In  an  inner  chamber  is  Smayatee,  rocking  a  little  boy 
to  sleep  in  a  rude  Laotian  crib,  with  a  mystic  Hindoo 
triform  suspended  over  it,  —  she  cannot  make  up  her 
mind  to  put  him  into  the  European  cradle  which  stands 
close  by ;  she  fears  some  secret  evil  influence  may  lurk 
about  its  pretentious  aspect,  —  and  the  boy,  with  his 
finger  in  his  mouth,  looks  at  his  mother  as  if  he  felt  she 
was  divinely  beautiful,  and  could  not  bring  himself  to 
shut  his  dreamy  eyes  for  the  light  upon  her  face. 

Nai  Dhamaphat  has  become  a  convert  to  the  Eoman 
Catholic  faith,  but  his  pagan  wife  cannot  be  persuaded  to 
forsake  the  gods  who  have  brought  her  so  much  happi- 
ness, to  whom  her  father  sacrificed  his  brave  life,  and 
therefore  she  has  raised  an  altar  in  her  nursery  to 
Davee  and  Dhupiya  and  Indra.     Her  father's  ashes,  too, 


SMAYATEE. 


"WEEPING   MAY  ENDURE   FOR  A  NIGHT."  121 

rest  here  In  a  golden  pagoda;  but  with  the  true,  loving, 
tender  veneration  of  her  womanly  nature,  she  has  exalted 
over  them  all,  in  a  niche  on  either  side  of  the  altar,  an 
image  of  the  Christ,  and  another  of  the  Virgin  Mary  with 
her  infant  Son  in  her  arms.  These,  in  their  symmetry 
and  beauty,  are  to  her  the  most  beautiful  of  the  gods 
upon  her  altar.  In  those  porcelain  images  of  the  Christ, 
and  the  Mother  with  her  tiny  Infant,  she  feels  that  there 
is  something  higher,  purer,  loftier,  than  in  the  forms  of 
her  own  dear  gods,  and  she  bows  in  worship,  and  trembles 
at  the  height  to  which  her  thoughts  of  that  Mother  and 
her  Son  elevate  her  souL 

Her  religion,  you  can  see  at  a  glance,  is  not  a  gloomy 
one  like  that  of  her  ancestors.  There  is  a  smile  all  over 
the  chamber,  and  happiness  all  over  her  sweet  face.  Lov- 
ing everything  in  her  purity,  worshipping  everything  in 
her  humility,  morning  and  evening  she  raises  her  eyes 
and  her  heart  from  those  sombre  old  gods  of  hers  to  the 
tender  ones  of  her  husband;  and  this  quiet  pagan  city 
has  never  before  been  lighted  up  with  such  a  gleam  of 
heaven  upon  earth  as  when  her  evening  prayer  bursts 
into  song:  — 

"  To  Thee  are  all  my  acts,  my  days, 
And  all  my  love,  and  all  my  praise, 
My  food,  my  gifts,  my  sacrifice, 
And  all  my  helplessness  and  cries. 

Davee  !  leave  my  spirit  free, 
And  thy  pure  soul  bequeath  to  me 
Unshackle!.     Lot  me  in  thine  essence  share, 

Let  me  dwell  in  thee  forever, 
And  thou,  0  Davee  !  dwell  in  me." 


122  ROMANCE  OF  THE  HAREM. 


CHAPTER  XV. 

THE  FAVORITE  OF  THE  HAREM. 

THE  morning  on  which  his  Majesty  set  out  on  his 
annual  visit  to  Pitchaburee  was  one  of  those  which 
occur  in  the  climate  of  Siam  at  almost  any  season  of  the 
year,  but  are  seen  in  their  perfection  only  in  October. 
The  earth,  air,  and  sky  seemed  to  bask  in  a  glory  of  sun- 
light and  beauty,  and  everything  that  had  life  gave  signs 
of  perfect  and  tranquil  enjoyment.  Not  a  sound  broke  the 
stillness,  and  there  seemed  nothing  to  do  but  to  sit  and 
watch  the  long  shadows  sleeping  on  the  distant  hills,  and 
on  the  warm  golden  fields  of  waving  corn. 

Reluctantly  quitting  my  window,  I  turned  my  steps 
toward  the  palace,  leaving  all  this  beauty  behind  me  in 
a  kind  of  despair ;  not  that  my  temple  school-room  was 
not  in  itself  a  delicious  retreat,  but  that  it  always  im- 
pressed me  with  a  feeling  I  could  never  analyze ;  when 
there,  it  seemed  as  if  I  were  removed  to  some  awful  dis- 
tance from  the  world  I  had  known,  and  were  yet  more 
remotely  excluded  from  any  participation  in  its  real  life. 

Taking  out  my  book,  I  sat  down  to  await  the  coming  of 
such  of  my  pupils  as  might  not  have  accompanied  the 
king  on  his  visit. 

In  the  course  of  an  hour,  only  one  presented  herself ; 
she  was  a  young  woman  called  Choy,  a  fair  and  very 
handsome  girl  of  about  twenty  summers,  or  perhaps  not 
so  many,  with  regular  features,  —  a  very  rare  thing  in  a 
Siamese  woman  ,  but  the  great  beauty  of  her  face  was  in 
her  large  lustrous  eyes,  which  were  very  eloquent,  even  in 
their  seeming  indifference.     Her  hair,  which  was  so  long 


THE  FAVORITE  OF  THE  HAREM.         123 

that  when  unbound  it  covered  her  whole  person,  even  to 
her  feet,  was  tied  in  a  large  knot  behind,  and  ornamented 

with  the  jessamine  .and  Indian  myrtle.  She  had  a  care- 
less, and  I  might  almost  say  even  a  wicked,  expression 
in  her  face,  which  was  slightly  marked  with  the  small- 
pox. 

Choy  was  the  youngest  sister  of  the  head  wife  (or  con- 
cubine) Tliieng,  and  had  been  my  pupil  for  about  six 
months.  This  morning  she  brought  me  a  flower;  it  was 
a  common  wild-flower,  that  grew  up  everywhere  in  great 
profusion,  making  a  lovely  carpet,  blossoming  as  it  did  in 
every  hook  and  crevice  of  the  stone  pavements  within 
the  palace.  It  was  just  like  her  to  snatch  up  the  first 
thing  that  attracted  her,  and  then  to  give  it  away  the 
very  next  moment.  But  I  received  it  with  pleasure,  and 
made  a  place  for  her  at  my  side.  She  seemed  to  be  out 
of  humor,  and,  jerking  herself  impatiently  into  the  seat, 
said  abruptly :  "  Why  don't  you  despise  me,  as  all  the  rest 
of  them  do  ? "  Then,  without  waiting  for  an  answer,  she 
went  on  to  say :  "  I  cant  be  what  you  wish  me  to  be ;  I  'm 
not  coming  to  school  any  more  !  Here  's  my  book !  I 
don't  want  it,  I  hate  English  ! " 

"  Why,  Choy,  what  is  the  matter  ?  "  I  inquired. 

"  I  am  tired  of  trying  to  do  so  much ;  I  am  not  going 
to  learn  English  any  more,"  she  replied. 

"  Don't  say  so,  Choy,"  I  said,  kindly ;  "  you  can't  do 
everything  at  once  ;  you  must  learn  by' degrees,  and  little 
by  little,  you  know.  No  one  grows  good  or  clever  at 
once." 

"  But  I  won't  leam  any  more,  even  to  grow  good  and 
clever.  There  's  no  use,  no  one  will  ever  care  for  me  or 
love  me  again.  I  wish  they  had  let  me  die  that  time," 
she  continued.  "  Bah  !  I  could  kill  that  stupid  old  con- 
sul who  saved  my  life.  It  were  better  to  be  quartered, 
and  cast  to  the  crows  and  vultures,  than  to  live  here. 


124  ROMANCE  OF  THE  HAREM. 

Every  one  orders  me  about  as  if  I  were  a  slave,  and 
treats  me  like  a  dog.  I  wish  I  could  drown  myself 
and  die." 

"But,  Choy,  you  are  here  now,  and  you  must  try  to 
bear  it  more  bravely  than  you  do,"  I  said,  not  fully 
understanding  the  passionate  nature  of  the  woman. 

"  Mam,"  she  said,  suddenly,  laying  her  hand  upon  my 
arm,  "  what  would  you  do  if  you  were  in  my  place  and 
like  me?" 

"  Like  you,  Choy  ?  I  don't  quite  understand  you ;  you 
must  explain  yourself  before  I  can  answer  you." 

"  Listen,  then,"  she  said,  passionately,  "  and  I  will  tell 

you." 

"  When  I  was  hardly  ten  years  old,  —  0,  it  seems  such 
a  long,  long  time  ago  !  —  my  mother  presented  me,  her 
favorite  child,  as  a  dancing-girl,  to  his  Majesty.  I  was 
immediately  handed  over  to  that  vicious  old  woman, 
Khoon  Som  Sak,  who  was  at  that  time  the  chief  teacher 
of  the  dramatic  art  in  the  palace.  She  is  very  clever, 
and  knows  all  the  ancient  epic  poems  by  heart,  especially 
the  Eamayana,  which  his  Majesty  delighted  to  see  drama- 
tized. 

"  Under  her  tuition  we  were  subjected  to  the  most 
rigorous  training,  mentally  and  physically ;  we  were 
compelled  to  leap  and  jump,  to  twist  and  contort  our 
bodies,  and  bend  our  arms,  fingers,  and  ankles  in  every 
direction,  till  we  became  so  supple  that  we  were  almost 
like  young  canes  of  rattan,  and  could  assume  any  posture 
the  old  hag  pleased.  Then  we  had  to  learn  long  passages 
from  all  sorts  of  poets  by  heart,  with  perfect  correctness, 
for  if  we  ever  forgot  even  a  single  word,  or  did  not  put  it 
in  its  right  place,  we  were  severely  beaten.  What  with 
recitations,  singing,  dancing,  playing,  and  beating  time 
with  our  feet,  we  had  a  hard  life  of  it ;  and  it  was  no 
play  for  our  instructress  either,  for  there  were  seventy  of 


THE  FAVORITE  OF  THE  HAREM.  125 

us  girls  to  be  initiated  into  all  the  mysteries  of  the  Siam- 
ese drama 

"At  length,  with  some  half-dozen  of  my  companions, 
T  was  pronounced  perfect  in  the  art,  and  was  permitted 
to  enter  my  Dame  among  the  envied  few  who  played  and 
danced  and  acted  before  the  king. 

"  I  vould  not  have  you  think  that  the  tasks  imposed 
upon  me  were  always  irksome,  or  that  I  have  always  felt 
so  depressed  and  unworthy  as  I  do  now.  The  study  of 
the  poets,  and  above  all  of  the  Ramayana,  opened  to  me 
a  new  world  as  it  were  ;  and  it  was  a  great  gain  to  have 
even  this,  with  the  half-smothered  yearning  for  life  in  the 
outer  world  that  it  inspired.  It  helped  me  to  live  in  a 
world  of  my  own  creation,  a  world  of  love,  music,  and 
song.  Rama  was  my  hero,  and  I  imagined  myself  the 
fair  and  beautiful  Sita,  his  wife.  I  particularly  delighted 
to  act  that  part  of  the  poem  describing  Rama's  expedition 
to  Lanka*  to  rescue  Sita  from  the  tyrant  liawana,  and 
their  delicious  meeting  in  the  garden,  where  Rama  greets 
her  with  those  beautiful  lines,  — 

'  0,  what  joy  !  abundant  treasures 

I  have  won  again  to-day, 

0,  what  joy  !     Of  Sita  Yanee  t 

Now  the  hard-won  prize  is  mine. 
0,  what  joy  !  again  thou  livest,  within  this  breast. 
So  mighty,  armed  with  love,  and  with  the  wealth  of  heaven  beyond  J 
Soon  shall  Sita,  Indara's  fairest  daughter, 
Stand  by  my  ride,  as  stands  her  matchless  mother, 
Aspara,  in  heaven  refulgent  by  the  great  Indara.' 

"  My  face  is  slightly  pock-marked  I  know  ;  but  when 
painted  and  dressed  in  the  court  jewels  I  looked  remark- 
ably well  as  Sita,  with  my  hair  floating  away  over  my 
shoulders  and  down  to  my  feet,  bound  only  by  an  ex- 
quisite crown  of  gold,  such  as  Sita  is  supposed  to  have 

*  The  Sanskrit  name  of  Ceylon.  +  Blessed. 

X  Highest  heaven. 


126  ROMANCE  OF  THE  HAREM. 

worn.  On  the  very  first  occasion  of  my  performing  be- 
fore the  king  I  had  to  take  part  in  this  drama.  As  soon 
as  we  had  got  through  the  first  scene,  the  king  inquired 
my  name  and  age.  This  set  my  heart  beating  in  great 
wild  throbs  all  through  the  rest  of  the  play.  But  after 
this  weeks  passed  by,  and  I  heard  nothing  more  from  his 
Majesty.     He  had  forgotten  me. 

"  I  grew  tired  of  reciting,  and  keeping  time,  and  sing- 
ing my  sweetest  songs  for  no  one's  amusement  but  that 
of  the  old  hag,  who  made  me  work  like  a  slave  for  the 
benefit  of  the  rest  of  her  pupils. 

"I  began  to  wish  there  would  be  some  great  fete 
outside  of  the  palace,  where  all  the  court,  nobles  and 
princes,  and  the  king,  would  assemble,  and  where  I  could 
act  Sita  and  sing  like  Naraweke,*  and  dance  like  Tha- 
waclee.-f" 

"  Then  father  and  mother  might  see  me  too,  and  O, 
how  pleased  they  would  be !  I  thought.  You  do  not 
know  how  dull  it  is  to  be  acting  before  women,  and  with 
women  only,  dressed  in  robes  of  kings  and  princesses. 
If  it  were  only  a  real  king,  or  a  prince,  or  even  a  noble,  it 
would  not  be  quite  so  bad ;  but  all  that  mockery  of  love, 
bah  !  it  is  too  stupid.  I  was  sick  of  my  life.  I  wished 
mother  had  kept  me  at  home,  instead  of  Chand.  I  could 
then  have  done  just  what  I  had  a  mind  to,  and  have  been 
just  as  gay  and  idle  as  she  was. 

"  Well !  the  day  came  at  last.  I  was  all  but  sixteen 
when  that  great  and  eventful  day  arrived.  The  fete  was 
in  honor  of  the  king's  grandson's  hair-cutting. 

"  Though  I  had  performed  several  times  at  the  court, 
his  Majesty  had  taken  no  further  notice  of  me,  and  I  was 
sorely  discontented  with  myself,  piqued  at  the  indiffer- 
ence of  the  king,  and  enraged  against  the  old  ladies,  who 
seized  every  opportunity  to  snub  me,  and  take  down  my 

*  A  famous  singer.  +  The  goddess  of  motion. 


THE  FAVORITE  OF  THE  HAREM.  .  127 

pride,  declaring  that  a  pock-marked  face  was  not  a  fit 
offering  for  the  king. 

"The  longed-for  day  arrived  at  length.  How  elated  I 
waa  I  I  had  to  represent  the  character  of  the  wondrously 
beautiful  Queen  Thewadee  in  one  of  those  ancient  dramas 
of  Maha  Nagkhon  Watt,  whose  beauty  is  said  to  have 
entranced  even  the  wild  beasts  of  the  forest,  so  that  they 
forgot  to  seize  upon  their  prey  as  her  shadow  passed  near 
tin-in.  My  dress  was  of  magnificent  silk  and  gold,  cov- 
ered with  precious  gems;  my  crown  was  an  antique  and 
lovely  coronet,  one  that  had  graced  the  brows  of  the 
queens  of  Cambodia.  It  was  richly  studded  with  rubies 
and  diamonds.  The  first  day  of  my  rehearsal  in  this 
costume,  all  my  companions  declared  that  I  looked  en- 
chantingly  beautiful,  that  my  fortune  was  made,  and  that, 
if  I  would  only  look  and  act  thus,  I  could  not  fail  to  cap- 
tivate the  king.  The  bare  idea  of  being  elevated  above 
my  hateful  old  teacher,  and  above  some  of  the  proud 
women  who  domineered  over  me,  half  intoxicated  me. 
In  this  mood  I  began  to  realize  my  future  as  already  at 
hand,  and,  growing  impatient  with  my  doubts  and  fears,  I 
sought  at  nightfall  a  crafty  old  female  astrologer  named 
Khoon  Hate  Nah.  She  took  me  into  a  dark  and  dismal 
cell  underground,  and,  putting  her  ear  to  my  side,  num- 
bered the  pulsation  of  my  heart  for  a  whole  hour ;  she 
then  bound  my  eyes,  and  bade  me  select  one  of  the  dark 
books  that  lay  around  me.  This  done,  she  expounded  to 
me  my  whole  future,  out  of  her  mysterious  book  of  fate, 
in  which  all  my  romantic  visions  of  greatness  were  as 
dearly  predicted  as  if  the  old  fiend  himself  had  revealed 
to  her  my  secret  and  innermost  thoughts  I  was  troubled 
only  at  one  part  of  the  old  woman's  revelations,  which 
said,  that,  though  I  was  destined  to  rise  to  the  greatest 
honors  in  the  realm,  a  certain  malignant  star  which 
would  greatly  influence  my  destiny  would  be  in  ascen- 


128  ROMANCE  OF  THE  HAREM. 

dency  during  the  month  of  Duenjee,*  and  that  if  I  neg- 
lected to  pass  the  whole  of  that  period  in  deep  fasting, 
prayer,  and  meditation,  I  should  sink  at  once  from  the 
highest  pinnacle  of  my  grandeur  into  the  lowest  and 
most  terrible  abyss. 

"  I  resolved  that  I  would  fast  and  pray  for  that  entire 
month  every  year  of  my  life.  How  I  wish  now  that  I 
had  never  consulted  the  old  hag,  because  my  confidence 
in  her  predictions  made  me  proud  and  defiant  to  the  old 
duennas,  who  are  now  my  bitterest  enemies  ! 

"  Alas  !  dear  father  and  mother.  It  were  better  to 
have  cast  your  daughter  Choy  into  the  Meinam  than  to 
have  given  her  to  amuse  a  king. 

"  On  the  day  of  the  fete,  I  awoke  at  five  o'clock  in  the 
morning,  and  began  anointing  my  person  with  the  per- 
fumes and  unguents  provided  for  us  at  the  king's  expense. 
I  then  spent  the  rest  of  the  forenoon  in  making  my  hair 
glossy  and  lustrous,  which  I  did  by  rubbing  it  with  the 
oil  of  the  cloksarathe.-f*  How  I  gloried  and  exulted  to  see 
it  floating  away  in  long  shining  masses,  waving  over  mv 
shoulders  and  covering  my  feet !  The  afternoon  came, 
and  with  it  the  old  hags  bearing  my  dress  and  the  costly 
jewels  I  was  to  appear  in.  They  opened  the  box  and 
laid  them  before  me.  I  had  never  seen  anything  so 
beautiful.  The  boxes  absolutely  sparkled  like  the  stars 
of  heaven  in  one  blaze  of  light  and  beauty. 

"  When  I  saw  these  jewels  I  was  seized  with  a  fit  of 
temporary  madness.  I  could  not  help  skipping  and  dan- 
cing in  a  sort  of  frenzy  about  my  chamber,  saying  all  sorts 
of  absurd  things  and  foretelling  my  future  triumphs. 
My  slave- women  looked  on  amazed  at  the  wildness  of 
my  spirits  ;  and  as  for  the  old  women  who  had  the  care 
of  robing  me  for  the  evening,  they  were  wrathful  and 
silent. 

*  December.  t  Flower  of  excellence. 


A    liOV.M.    ACTRESS. 


THE   FAVORITE   OF   THE   HAREM.  129 

"  We  were  all  ready  at  last.  A  small  gilt  chariot  of  a 
tower-like  form,  made  of  ivory  and  decorated  with  gar- 
Limb  and  crowns  of  flowers,  drawn  by  a  pair  of  milk- 
white  ponies,  and  attended  by  Amazons  dressed  superbly 
in  green  and  gold,  conveyed  me,  as  the  Queen  Thewadee, 
to  the  grand  hall  where  we  were  to  perform.  My  com- 
panions, similarly  attended,  followed  me  on  foot.  His 
Majesty,  the  princes,  and  princesses,  surrounded  by  all 
the  courtiers,  were  already  there.  The  king  and  royal 
family  were  seated  on  a  raised  dais  under  a  tapering 
n  canopy. 

"  The  moment  the  king  saw  me  approach,  my  ponies 
ntlv  forward  by  Amazons,  he  rose  and,  before  the 
whole  court  of  lords  and  nobles  and  princes  assembled, 
inquired  my  name  of  one  of  the  duennas.  This  recalled 
ince  more  to  his  memory,  for  he  said  aloud,  '  Ah  !  we 
remember,  she  is  the  one  who  dances  so  beautifully.'  0, 
what  a  moment  of  triumph  that  was  for  me!  I  felt  as 
if  my  heart  in  its  wild,  ecstatic  throbs  would  burst 
through  its  gorgeous  fetters  of  silk  and  gold.  I  rose  up 
in  my  chariot  and  bowxd  low  before  him  three  times. 
'  But,  how  now ! '  he  exclaimed  angrily,  looking  around ; 
'where  are  the  nobles  who  are  to  lead  the  ponies?  Let 
those  Amazons  fall  back  to  the  right  and  left.'  In  an 
instant  there  emerged  from  the  crowd  two  most  dis- 
tinguished-looking noblemen,  dressed  in  flowing  white 
j,  threaded  with  gold  and  sparkling  with  gems;  they 
took  their  places  beside  the  ponies  on  either  side  of  my 
chariot.  One  was  P'haya  *  Iiatani,  the  other  was  a 
stranger  to  me. 

"  They  did  homage  to  me,  as  if  I  were  a  real  queen, 
and  stationed  themselves  at  my  ponies'  heads. 

"  At  this  moment  I  was  saluted  with  a  burst  of  music 
and  the  curtain  fell.     P'haya  Katani  bent  his  head  close 

*  Duke. 


130  ROMANCE   OF  THE  HAREM. 

to  mine  and  whispered,  '  How  beautiful  thou  art ! '  I 
turned  a  frowning  look  upon  him  for  his  presumption, 
and  replied,  '  Have  a  care,  my  lord,  a  word  from  me  may- 
be too  much  for  thee ' ;  but  he  immediately  assumed  so 
humble  and  penitent  an  expression  that  I  forgave  him. 
I  was  both  nattered  and  piqued,  however,  at  the  other 
nobleman's  conduct ;  for  though  he  looked  admiringly  at 
me,  he  said  not  a  word.  I  would  have  given  my  eyes  if 
it  had  been  he  who  said  I  was  beautiful ;  for  there  was  a 
majesty  of  youth,  strength,  and  manly  beauty  about  him 
that  made  a  blinding  radiance  around  my  chariot,  and 
excited  an  oblivious  rapture  in  my  heart.  I  panted,  I 
was  athirst,  for  one  word  of  recognition  from  him.  At 
length  I  became  so  vexed  at  his  silence  that  I  asked  him 
what  he  was  looking  at.  He  replied  more  cautiously 
than  his  companion,  '  Lady,  I  thought  that  I  beheld  an 
angel  of  light,  but  thy  voice  recalls  me  to  the  earth  again.' 

"  I  was  so  enraptured  at  this  speech,  that  I  could  hardly 
contain  myself.  A  flood  of  delight  swept  over  me,  my 
breast  heaved,  my  eyes  glowed,  my  lips  parted,  my  color 
came  and  went  through  the  maize-colored  cream  that 
covered  my  face  and  concealed  my  only  deformity. 

"  When  the  curtain  rose,  I,  with  this  new  life  rushing 
through  my  veins,  looked  triumphantly  at  the  troop  of 
my  companions  who  did  me  homage.  This  new  existence 
made  me  so  joyous  that  I  must  have  been  beautiful. 
Thus  inspired  I  acted  my  part  so  wondrously  well  that  a 
deep  murmur  of  applause  ran  throughout  the  hall.  His 
Majesty's  eyes  were  riveted  upon  me  in  startled  astonish- 
ment and  evident  admiration.  I  acted  my  part  with  a 
keen  sense  of  its  reality,  and  gave  utterance  to  the  burn- 
ing passion  of  my  heart.  As  if  I  were  really  a  queen,  I 
commanded  my  courtiers  to  drive  away  the  suitors  who 
wooed  me,  declaring  that  anything  beneath  royalty  would 
stain  my  queenly  dignity  and  beauty. 


THE   FAVOBHE  OF  THE   UAKl'.M.  131 

"  But  when  the  banished  prince,  my  lover,  appear*  d,  T 
rose  hastily  from  my  gilded  and  ivory  chariot,  and  with 
my  hair  floating  round  my  form  like  a  deep  lustrous  veil, 
through  which  the  pins  on  my  robe  shone  out  like 
glorious  stars  of  a  dark  night,  I  laid  myself,  like  the 
lotus-stem  uprooted,  prostrate  at  his  feet.  I  pronounced 
his  name  in  the  most  tender  accents.  I  improvised 
Mil  more  passionate  than  those  contained  in  the 
drama :  — 

1  Instantly  I  know  my  lord,  as  the  heat  ln-trays  the  fire, 
When  through  the  obscuring  earth  unclouded 
Shining  <>ut  thou  didst  appear 

Worthy  oi  all  joy  ;  my  soul  is  wrung  with  rapture, 

Ami  it  quivers  in  thy  presence,  as  the  lotus  petals  before  a  mighty  wind.' 

'•  The  courtiers  raised  me  up  from  the  floor,  and  led  me 
back  to  tin.-  chariot.  The  prince,  who  was  no  other  than 
'  Murakote,'  took  his,  or  more  properly  her,  place  beside 
me,  and  the  curtain  fell.  The  play  was  over.  With 
nothing  but  the  memory  of  a  look,  I  returned  to  my  now 
still  more  dismal  rooms.  I  disrobed  myself  of  all  my 
glittering  ornaments  with  a  sigh,  bound  up  my  long, 
shining  hair,  and  sat  down  to  enjoy  the  only  happiness 
left  me,  —  my  proud,  swelling  thoughts.  I  was  just 
losing  myself  in  soft,  delicious  reveries,  which  illumi- 
nated as  with  a  celestial  light  the  whole  world  within  me, 
when  1  observed  a  couple  of  old  duennas,  who  came 
fawning  upon  me,  caressing  and  praising  me,  while  telling 
me  that  his  Majesty  had  ordered  that  I  should  be  in  at- 
tendance in  hi-  Bupper-chamber  that  evening. 

"  I  listened  in  mute  pain,  The  power  of  the  new  pas- 
sion that  now  filled  my  heart  Beemed  to  defy  all  authority, 
and  the  very  thing  for  which  I  had  so  long  worked  and 
longed  had  become  valueless  ami  as  nothing  to  me.  But 
I  dared  not  excuse  myself,  so  I  silently  followed  my  con- 
ductresses, and  for  the  first  time  in  my  life  ascended  to 
his  Majesty's  private  supper-chamber. 


132  ROMANCE  OF  THE  HAREM. 

"  How  changed  I  was !  that  which  had  been  my  sole 
ambition  ever  since  I  was  ten  years  old  came  down  upon 
me  with  a  gush  of  woe  that  I  could  hardly  have  believed 
myself  capable  of  feeling. 

"  I  sat  down  to  await  the  coming  of  the  king ;  but  I 
could  have  plucked  out  the  heart  that  had  rushed  so 
madly  on,  casting  its  young  life  away  at  the  feet  of  a 
man  whose  name  even  I  did  not  know,  whose  face  I  had 
not  seen  till  that  day,  but  the  tones  of  whose  voice  were 
still  sounding  through  and  through  my  quivering  pulses. 

"Well,  my  forehead,  if  not  my  heart,  I  laid  at  his 
Majesty's  feet.  '  I  am  your  slave,  my  lord/  said  my  voice, 
the  sound  of  which  startled  my  own  ears,  so  hollow  and 
deceptive  did  it  seem. 

" '  Do  you  know  how  fascinating  you  were  this  even- 
ing ? '  said  the  king.  '  Older  by  forty  years  than  my 
father,'  thought  I,  as,  dissembling  still,  I  replied,  '  Your 
slave  does  not  know.'  '  But  you  were,  and  I  am  sure  you 
deserve  to  be  a  queen,'  he  added,  trying  to  play  the  gal- 
lant.    '  My  lord  is  too  gracious  to  his  slave/  I  murmured. 

« '  Why,  Thieng  ! '  he  said,  speaking  to  my  eldest  sister ; 
1  why  have  you  hidden  this  beauty  away  from  me  so  long  ? 
Let  her  not  be  called  Choy  *  any  longer,  but  Chorm.'  f 
I  would  weary  you  if  I  tried  to  tell  you  how  he  praised 
and  flattered  me,  and  how  before  a  week  was  over  I  was 
the  proudest  woman  in  the  palace. 

"  I  became  a  stranger  to  my  dismal  rooms  in  the  street, 
to  my  slave- women  as  well  as  to  my  companions.  I 
lived  entirely  in  Ms  Majesty's  apartments,  and  it  was  only 
when  he  was  asleep  or  in  the  council  hall  that  I  rushed 
down  to  plunge  into  the  lotus-lake  or  to  ramble  in  the 
rose-garden.  But  I  never  stopped  to  think.  I  would  not 
give  my  heart  a  moment  to  reflect,  not  a  moment  to  the 
past,  not  a  moment  to  the  future.    I  was  intoxicated  with 

*  Surfeit.  +  Delight. 


THE   FAVORITE   OF   THE    HAREM.  133 

the  present.  Every  day  gifts  rare  and  costly  were  brought 
to  in.-  from  the  king;  1  affected  to  despise  them,  but  he 
never  relaxed  his  endeavors  to  suit  my  taste,  to  match 
my  hair  and  my  complexion.  The  late  proud,  insolent 
favorite,  who  used  to  order  us  girls  about  as  if  we  were 
knelt  before  me,  as  half  from  ennui  and  half  from 
coquetry  1  feigned  illness  and  inability  to  rise  from  my 
master's  couch  I  cannot  tell  you  how  well  I  acted  my 
pari  ;  1  was  more  daring  than  any  favorite  had  yet  been. 

"  In  the  tumult  and  excess  of  the  passion  I  felt  for  a 
stranger,  I  was  able  to  make  the  king  believe  that  he  was 
himself  its  object  ;  and  lie  was  SO  flattered  at  my  seeming 
admiration  and  devotion,  that  he  called  me  by  the  tender 
name  'Look"  (child),  and  indulged  me  in  all  my  whims 
and  fancies. 

But  at  length  I  grewT  tired  of  so  much  acting,  and  the 
intensity  of  my  manner  began  to  flag.  I  complained  of 
illness  in  order  to  escape  to  my  own  room,  where  I  flung 
myself  down  upon  my  leather  pillow,  and  drove  my  teeth 
through  and  through  it  in  the  after-agony  that  my  falseness 
bn  aight  upon  me.  I  was  worn  with  woe,  more  than  wasted 
1  >  v  want  of  food.  My  sister  observed  my  paleness,  and  said, 
half  in  earnest  and  half  in  jest :  '  Don't  take  it  so  mucli  to 
heart,  child  ;  we  have  all  had  our  day;  it  is  yours  now,  but  it 
can't  last  forever.  Remember,  there  are  other  daneing-girls 
growing  up.  and  some  <>i*  them  are  handsomer  than  you  are.' 

"  '  What  do  you  mean  ? '  I  retorted,  fiercely  ;  '  do  you 
suppose  I  am  sorrowing  because  of  my  grandfather? 
Bah!  take  him,  if  you  want  him.'  'Hush,  child,' she 
replied,  l  and  don't  forget  that  yon  are  in  a  lion's  den.' 

"'Lion  or  tiger,'  I  said,  laughing  bitterly,  'I  mean  to 
play  with  his  fangs,  even  if  they  tear  my  heart,  until  I 
am  rich  as  you  at  Least'  'Do  you,  indeed  ?'  she  rejoined. 
'  Be  quick,  then,  and  give  him  a  p'hra  ong.'  *     "With  that 

*  Sacred  infant. 


134  ROMANCE  OF  THE  HAREM. 

she  left  me  to  my  own  wild,  bitter,  maddening,  condemn- 
ing self. 

"Months  of  triumph,  rage,  agony,  and  despair  wore 
away,  and  my  day  was  not  over  I  was  acknowledged 
by  all  to  be  the  wilful  favorite  '  Chorm.'  In  the  mean 
time  I  had  one  ray  of  comfort.  I  found  out  the  name  of 
the  man  I  loved,  from  a  new  slave- woman  who  had  just 
entered  into  my  service.  It  was  P'haya  P'hi  Chitt.  That 
very  day  I  took  a  needleful  of  golden  thread  and  worked 
the  name  into  a  scrap  of  silk  which  I  made  into  an  amu- 
let and  wore  round  my  neck.  This  greatly  solaced  me  for 
a  little  while,  after  which  I  began  to  crave  something  more. 

"  The  new  slave-woman  who  had  entered  my  service, 
just  because  I  was  the  favorite,  seemed  so  kind  and  at- 
tentive, and  was  such  a  comfort  to  me,  whenever  I  rushed 
to  my  rooms  for  a  respite,  that  I  determined  to  employ 
her  in  obtaining  information  of  the  outside  world  for  me. 
'  Just  to  beguile  me  of  my  weary  hours,'  I  said.  She 
seconded  the  idea  with  great  alacrity.  '  To  whose  house 
shall  I  go  first  ? '  she  inquired.  '  0,  anywhere/  I  replied, 
carelessly ;  then,  as  if  suddenly  remembering  myself,  I 
said,  '  0  Boon,  go  to  P'haya  P'hi  Chitt,  and  find  out  how 
the  groom  of  the  Queen  Thewadee  lives  in  his  harem.' 

"  "When  she  returned,  which  was  close  upon  nightfall,  I 
wTas  impatient  to  hear  all  she  had  to  tell  me ;  but  after 
she  had  told  me  all,  I  became  more  impatient  and  restless 
still.  Her  face  lighted  up  as  she  expatiated  on  the  manly 
beauty  of  P'haya  P'hi  Chitt,  and  her  voice  trembled 
slightly  —  she  did  it  on  purpose,  I  thought  —  as  she  went 
on  to  say  that  ever  since  the  day  he  had  met  the  lovely 
Thewadee  he  had  become  so  changed,  and  had  grown  so 
melancholy,  that  all  his  dearest  friends  and  relatives 
began  to  fear  some  secret  distemper,  or  that  some  evil 
spirit  had  entered  into  him.  This  was  ample  food  for  me 
for  months.  It  comforted  me  to  think  that  he  shared  my 
misery. 


Till-:    FAVORITE    OF   THE    IIAKK.M.  13l) 

"Tlun  I  drooped  and  languished  once  more,  and  began 
to  long  for  some  more  tangible  token  of  his  love  for  me. 
I  grew  bolder  and  bolder,  and  the  tender-hearted  slave- 
woman  sympathized  with  my  passion  for  him.  At  last  I 
sent  her  out  with  a  message  to  him.  It  contained  but 
two  words,  Kit-tilling,*  and  he  returned  but  two  more, 
l'ak-mak.-f- 

•  All  this  while  I  still  visited  the  king,  and  was  often 
alone  with  him;  he  continued  to  indulge  me,  giving  me 
rings,  betel-boxes,  and  diamond  pins  for  my  hair 
Every  petition  I  made  to  him  was  granted.  Every  woman 
in  the  palace  stood  in  awe  of  me,  not  knowing  how  1 
might  use  my  power,  and  I  was  proud  and  wilful.  My 
father  was  created  a  duke  of  the  second  rank  in  the  king- 
dom, my  brothers  were  appointed  governors  over  lucrative 
districts.  1  had  iK »thing  left  to  wish  for  but  a  child.  If 
I  had  had  a  child,  I  might  have  been  saved.  A  child  only 
could  have  subdued  my  growing  passion,  and  given  to  my 
life  a  fairer  blossom  and  a  richer  fruit  than  it  now  bears. 
At  last,  I  don't  know  what  put  it  into  my  head,  but  I 
a  to  solace  myself  by  writing  to  P'haya  Fhi  Chitt 
every  day,  and  destroying  the  letters  as  soon  as  they  were 
written. 

"My  next  step  was  to  send  one  of  these  letters  to  him 
by  Boon,  He  was  very  bold,  and  it  makes  my  heart  ache 
even  now  to  think  how  brave  and  fearless  he  was.  He 
wrote  to  me  at  once,  and  implored  me  in  a  depth  of  an- 
guish  and  in  words  as  if  on  fire  to  disguise  myself  in 
Boon's  clothes,  to  quit  the  palace,  and  go  out  to  meet  him, 
1  burnt  the  letter  as  soon  as  I  had  learned  it  by  heart 
My  heart  was  set  on  lire;  and  I  pondered  over  and  over 
the  proposition  of  my  lover,  until  it  became  too  fascinat- 
ing for  me  to  resist  much  longer. 

M  So  I  took   Boon  into  greater  confidence  than  ever,  put 

*  1  remember.  f  I  love  much. 


136  ROMANCE  OF  THE  HAREM. 

a  bag  heavy  with  silver  into  her  hands,  and,  moreover, 
promised  her  her  freedom  if  she  would  assist  me  to  escape. 
1  Keep  the  silver  till  I  ask  you  for  it,  lady,'  she  replied, 
'but  trust  me  to  help  you.  I  will  do  it  with  all  my 
heart.' 

"  Her  devotion  and  attachment  surprised  me.  I  It  could 
not  have  been  greater  had  she  been  my  own  sister.  Poot- 
tho !  *  could  I  have  seen  the  end  I  would  have  stopped 
there.  I  saw  nothing  but  the  face  that  had  kindled  a 
blinding  fire  in  my  heart. 

"  The  faithful  Boon  served  me  but  too  well.  It  was  all 
arranged  that  I  should  go  out  at  the  Patoo-din*|-  the  next 
evening  at  sunset,  with  my  hair  cut  off,  and  disguised  as 
Boon.  P'haya  Phi  Chitt  was  to  be  there  with  a  boat 
ready  to  convey  us  to  Ayudia,  and  Boon  was  to  remain 
behind  until  the  whole  thing  should  have  blown  over. 
This  last  was  her  own  proposition.  I  tried  in  vain  to 
urge  her  to  accompany  us  in  our  flight.  She  said  it  would 
be  safer  for  us  both  to  have  a  friend  in  the  palace,  who 
could  give  us  information  of  whatever  took  place. 

"  In  the  agitation  in  which  I  wrote  these  last  instruc- 
tions to  my  lover,  I  made  so  many  blunders  that  I  had  to 
write  the  letter  all  over  again.  Boon  implored  me  to  put 
no  name  to  it,  for  we  still  feared  some  discovery.  I  gave 
it,  sealed  with  my  ring,  to  Boon,  who  carried  it  off  in  great 
delight ;  and  I  laid  myself  down  upon  my  couch  to  dream 
of  an  overflowing  happiness.  In  the  blessedness  of  the 
great  love  that  absorbed  every  feeling  of  my  heart,  I  loved 
even  the  king,  whom  I  had  most  injured  and  deceived, 
with  the  loving  devotion  of  a  child. 

"  In  the  midst  of  my  ecstatic  dreams  I  fell  asleep,  and 
dreamed  a  dream,  0,  so  different  !  As  plainly  as  one  sees 
in  broad  daylight,  1  saw  myself  bound  in  chains,  and 
P'haya  P'hi  Chitt  flung  down  a  dreadful  precipice. 

*  Pitiful  Buddha.  +  Gate  of  earth. 


THE   FAVORITE   OF   THE   HAREM.  137 

"My  chamber  door  was  thrown  rudely  open,  I  was 
1  by  cold  hands,  harsh  voices  bade  me  rise,  and  I 
opened  my  eyes  upon  that  woman  who  is  called  by  us 
Mai  Taio.*  There  was  Boon,  tied  hand  and  foot,  lying 
before  my  door.  It  was  all  over  with  us.  'If  I  could 
only  stvr  hini,'  was  my  only  thought. 

"They  were  patting  chains  on  my  hands,  and  jostling 
me  about;  for  so  benumbed  and  prostrated  was  I  at  the 
Bight  of  Boon  that  I  could  not  rise.  I  did  not  dare  to 
ask  her  a  single  question  for  fear  of  implicating  ourselves 
all  the  more,  when  my  sister  Thieng  rushed  into  my  room 
screaming,  Hung  herself  upon  my  bed,  and  clasped  me 
around  the  neck. 

•  •  Bush!  sister,'  I  said.  'Make  these  women  wait  a 
little,  and  tell  me  how  they  came  to  find  it  out/ 

" '  0  Choy,  Choy ! '  she  kept  repeating,  wringing  her 
hands  and  moaning  piteously. 

"  '  Sister  Thieng,  do  you  hear  me  ?  I  don't  care  what 
they  do  to  me.  I  only  want  to  know  how  much  you 
know,  how  much  he  knows.' 

" '  A  copy  of  a  letter  you  wrote  to  some  nobleman  was 
picked  up  about  an  hour  ago,  and  taken  to  the  chief 
judge.     She  has  laid  it  before  the  king.' 

"  Then,  if  that  is  all,  he  does  not  know  the  name/  I 
said  with  a  sigh  of  deep  relief. 

"'Ah  |  but  he'll  find  it  out,  sister/ said  Thieng.  'Throw 
yourself  upon  Ins  mercy  and  confess  all,  for  he  still  loves 
you,  Choy  11  ■■  would  hardly  believe  yen  had  written 
the  letter/ 

"lias  Boon  said  anything  V  I  next  inquired 

"'No.  Qi  .1,  Bhe  is  as  silent  as  death,'  said  my 

sister.  'But  where  did  yon  get  her?  Who  is  she? 
She  was  taken  on  her  return,  because  you  had  mentioned 
your  slave  Boon  in  your  letter.     Now  I  must  leave  you 

*  Mother  of  death,  or  female  executioner. 


138  KOMANCE  OF  THE  HAREM. 

and  go  back  to  the  king/  said  my  sister.     Then,  weeping 
and  abusing  poor  Boon,  she  went  away. 

"  Boon  and  I  were  chained  and  dragged  to  the  same 
cell  you  visited  the  other  day. 

"  As  soon  as  we  were  left  alone,  I  asked  Boon  if  she 
had  confessed  anything.  '  JSTo,  my  lady,'  she  replied  with 
great  energy,  '  nothing  in  this  world  will  make  me  confess 
aught  against  P'haya  Phi  Chitt.'  At  the  instant  it  flashed 
upon  me  that  this  woman,  whoever  she  was,  also  loved 
him,  and  I  looked  at  her  in  a  new  light.  She  was  young 
still,  and  well  formed,  with  small  hands  and  feet,  that  told 
of  gentle  nurture. 

" '  Boon,  cha,'  *  said  I,  in  great  distress,  '  who  are  you  ? 
Pray,  tell  me,  it  is  of  no  use  to  conceal  anything  from  me 
now.  Why  are  you  so  happy  to  suffer  with  me  ?  Any 
one  else  would  have  left  me  to  die  alone.' 

" '  0  my  lady  ! '  she  began,  folding  her  hands  together 
as  well  as  she  could  with  the  chains  on  them,  and  drag- 
ging herself  close  to  me, '  forgive  me,  0,  forgive  me  !  I  am 
P'haya  Phi  Chitt's  wife.' 

"  I  was  silent  in  amazement.  At  length  I  said,  '  Go  on 
and  tell  me  the  rest,  Boon.' 

"  '  0,  forgive  me  ! '  she  replied,  humbly.  '  I  cried  bitterly 
the  night  he  returned  from  the  grand  fete  because  he  told 
me  how  beautiful  you  were,  how  passionately  he  loved 
you,  and  that  he  should  never  be  happy  again  until  he 
obtained  you  for  his  wife.  He  refused  to  eat,  to  drink,  or 
to  sleep,  and  I  vowed  to  him  by  my  love  that  you  should 
be  his.  But  I  found  you  were  the  favorite,  and  that  it 
would  be  a  more  difficult  task  than  I  had  at  first  thought ; 
so  rather  than  break  my  promise  to  my  husband,  nay, 
lady,  rather  than  meet  his  cold,  estranged  look,  I  sold  my- 
self to  you  as  your  slave.  Every  ray  or  gleam  of  sunshine, 
every  beautiful  thought  that  fell  from  your  lips,  I  treas- 

*  Dear. 


THE   FAVORITE   OF   THE   HAREM.  139 

ored  ul>  m  mY  heart  and  bore  them  daily  to  him,  that  I 
might  but  console  my  noble  husband.  You  know  the 
rest.  If  I  deceived  you,  it  was  to  serve  both  you  and 
him,  while  my  heart  wept  to  think  that  I  was  no  longer 
beloved  Gifted  with  unnumbered  virtues  is  my  husband, 
lady  :  and  my  heart,  like  his  shadow,  still  follows  him 
evi  rywhere,  and  will  follow  him  forever.' 

•  1  was  so  sorry  for  Boon,  I  had  not  the  heart  to  re- 
proach  her.  1  crept  closer  to  her,  and,  laying  my  head 
,.n  her  bosom,  we  mingled  our  tears  and  prayers  together. 
And  I  marvelled  at  the  greatness  of  the  woman  before  me. 

"Next  morning — for  morning  comes  even  to  such 
wretches  as  my  companion  and  me  —  we  were  dragged 
to  the  hall  of  justiee.  The  king  did  not  preside  as  we 
had  expected.  But  cruel  judges,  male  and  female,  headed 
by  his  Lordship  P'haya  Prorne  P'hatt  and  her  Ladyship 
Khoon  Tliow  App.  Not  knowing  what  charge  to  make, 
they  read  the  copy  of  my  letter  over  and  over  again, 
Imping  to  guess  the  name  of  the  gentleman  to  whom  it 
was  sent.  Failing  to  do  this,  they  subjected  Boon  to  a 
series  of  cross-questionings,  but  succeeded  only  in  elicit- 
ing the  one  uniform  reply,  '  What  can  a  poor  slave  know, 
my  lords  ? ' 

Hi  feet  were  then  bastinadoed  till  the  soles  were  raw 
and  bleeding.  She  still  said,  'My  lords,  be  pitiful 
What  can  a  poor  slave  know?' 

"After  a  little  while,  Khoon  Tlmw  App  brggvd  I'""11 
to  confess  all  and  sav<-  herself  from  further  suffering. 
i  i  remained  persistently  silent,  and  the  Lash  was  ap- 
plied to  her  ban-  back  till  it  was  ribbed  in  long  gashes, 
but  Bhe  confessed  nut  a  word.  At  last  the  torture  was 
applied  to  her  thumbs  until  the  cold  sweat  stood  in  great 
drops  on  her  contorted  and  agonized  brow;  but  no  wold, 
no  cry  for  mercy,  no  sound  of  confession,  escaped  her 
lips.     It  was  terrible  to  witness  the  power  of  endurance 


140  ROMANCE  OF  THE  HAREM. 

that  sustained  this  woman.  The  judges  and  executioners, 
both  male  and  female,  exhausted  their  ingenuity  in  the 
vain  attempt  to  make  her  betray  the  name  of  the  man 
to  whom  she  had  carried  the  letter ;  and  finally,  when 
the  lengthening  shadows  proclaimed  the  close  of  day,  they 
departed,  leaving  me  with  poor  Boon  bleeding  and  almost 
senseless,  to  be  carried  back  by  the  attending  Amazons  to 
our  cell. 

"  I  tried  to  comfort  poor  Boon.  She  hardly  needed 
comfort ;  her  joy  that  she  had  not  betrayed  her  husband 
was  even  greater  than  her  sufferings. 

"  Another  day  dawned  upon  us.  Boon  was  borne  in  a 
litter,  and  I  crept  trembling  by  her  side,  to  the  same  hall 
of  justice.  Boon  was  subjected  once  more  to  the  lash, 
the  bastinado,  and  the  thumb-screws,  till  she  fell  all  but 
lifeless  on  the  ground.  It  was  all  in  vain ;  that  woman 
possessed  the  heart  of  a  lion;  if  they  had  torn  her  to 
pieces,  she  would  not  by  the  faintest  sound  have  betrayed 
the  only  man  she  had  loved  in  her  sad  life. 

"  The  physicians  were  sent  for  to  restore  her  to  life 
again.  She  was  not  permitted  the  luxury  of  death. 
Then,  when  this  was  over,  they  bound  up  her  wounds 
with  old  rags,  gave  her  something  to  revive  her,  and  laid 
her  on  a  cool  matting.  My  turn  came,  and  her  eyes 
fixed  themselves  upon  me  with  an  intensity  that  fairly 
made  me  shiver.  They  seemed  to  cry  aloud  to  my  in- 
most soul,  saying  as  plainly  as  lips  could  speak,  '  What 
is  suffering,  pain,  or  death,  compared  to  truth  ?  Be  true 
to  yourself.  Be  true  to  your  love.  If  you  love  another, 
you  love  not  yourself.  Flinch  not.  Bear  bravely  all 
they  can  inflict.'  I  shuddered  as  the  judges  began  to 
question  me,  but  I  shuddered  more  whenever  I  met 
Boon's  eyes,  so  fixed,  so  steadfast,  so  earnest,  so  appeal- 
ing. I  prevaricated.  I  told  the  judges  lies.  '  That  letter 
was  written  as  a  joke  to  frighten  my  youngest  sister. 


THE  FAVORITE  OF  THE  HAREM.         141 

I  was  only  playing.     I  know  no  man  in  the  world  but 

inv  Gather  and  brothers  and  my  gracious  master  the  king.' 

"My  Bister  was  summoned    If  I  could  have  spoken 

with  her,  she  might  have  helped  me  in  my  strait;  but 
the  women  who  were  sent  to  bring  her  questioned  her 
before  she  knew  what  they  were  about,  and  she  plainly 
exposed  my  lies  to  the  judges. 

•  A  messenger  was  despatched  to  the  king.  The  judges 
feared  to  proceed  to  extreme  measures  with  me,  who  had 
lately  been  the  plaything  of  their  sovereign.  After 
half  an  hour's  delay  the  instructions  were  received,  and 
I  was  ordered  to  bare  my  back.  A  feeling  of  shame  pre- 
vented me.  I  would  not  obey.  I  resisted  with  what 
strength  I  had.  'You  may  lash  me  with  a  million 
thongs/  I  said  to  them, 'but  you  shall  not  expose  my 
person.'  My  silk  vest  was  torn  off,  my  scarf  was  Hung 
aside,  my  slippers  were  taken  from  my  feet.  My  arms 
were  stretched  and  tied  to  a  post,  and  thus  I  was  lashed. 
Every  stroke  that  descended  on  my  back  maddened  me 
into  an  obdurate  silence.  Boon's  eyes  searched  into  my 
soul.  I  understood  their  meaning.  My  flesh  was  laid 
open  in  fine  thin  stripes,  but  I  do  not  remember  flinching. 
My  feet  were  then  bastinadoed,  and  I  still  preserved,  °I 
know  not  how,  my  secret.  Then  there  was  a  respite,  and 
they  gave  me  something  to  drink. 

"  In  fifteen  minutes  I  was  once  more  exhorted  to  con- 
fesa  Tin-  judges,  finding  me  still  unsubdued,  ordered 
the  thumb-screws  to  be  administered  Not  all  the 
agoni.s,  not  all  the  horrors  I  have  ever  heard  of,  can 
compare  with  the  pain  of  that  torture.  It  was  beyond 
human  endurance.  '0  Boon,  forgive  me,  forgive  me!' 
I  cried;  'it  is  impossible  to  bear  it.'  With  Boon's  eyes 
burning  into  my  soul,  1  gasped  out  the  beloved  name. 
Boon  threw  up  her  arms,  gave  a  wild  shriek  of  terror, 
and  became  insensible. 


142  ROMANCE  OF  THE  HAREM. 

"  I  was  released  from  further  punishment.  Two  of 
the  pha-koons  *  were  despatched  for  P'haya  P'hi  Chitt. 
He  was  betrayed  to  the  king's  officers  for  a  heavy  reward, 
and  before  noon  was  undergoing  the  same  process  of  the 
law.  When  Boon  was  once  more  brought  to  life,  she 
saw  her  husband  in  the  hands  of  the  executioners.  She 
started  upright,  and,  supporting  herself  on  her  rigid  arms 
and  hands,  cried  out  to  the  judges  and  to  Koon  Thow 
App  :  '  0  my  lords  !  0  my  lady  !  listen  to  me.  0,  believe 
me !  It  was  all  my  doing.  I  am  P'haya  P'hi  Chitt's 
wife.  It  was  I  who  deceived  the  Lady  Choy.  It  was  I 
who  put  it  into  his  head.  Did  I  not  ?  You  can  bear 
testimony  to  my  guilt ! '  An  ineffable  smile  beamed  on 
her  pale  lips  and  in  her  dim  eyes  as  they  turned  towards 
her  husband. 

"  There  was  profound  silence  among  the  judges. 
P'haya  P'hi  Chitt,  I,  and  even  the  rabble  crowd  of  slaves, 
listened  to  her  with  astonished  countenances.  There  was 
an  incontestable  grandeur  about  the  woman.  Khoon 
Thow  App,  that  stern  and  inflexible  woman,  had  tears  in 
her  eyes,  and  her  voice  trembled  as  she  asked,  '  What 
was  thy  motive,  0  Boon  ? '  There  was  no  reply  from 
Boon.  There  was  no  need  to  torture  P'haya  P'hi  Chitt. 
He  was  chained  and  conveyed  to  the  criminals'  prison, 
and  we  were  carried  back  to  our  cell. 

"  The  report  of  our  trial  and  the  confessions  elicited 
were  sent  to  the  king.  That  very  night,  at  midnight,  the 
sentence  of  death  was  pronounced  by  the  Secret  Council 
upon  us  three  ;  but  the  most  dreadful  part  of  all  was  the 
nature  of  the  sentence.  Boon  and  I  were  to  be  quartered ; 
P'haya  P'hi  Chitt  hewn  to  pieces;  and  our  bodies  not 
burned,  but  cast  to  the  dogs  and  vultures  at  Watt  Sail 
Kate.f 

*  Sheriffs. 

+  The  rite  of  burning  the  body  after  death  is  held  in  great  veneration 
by  the  Buddhists,  as  they  believe  that  by  this  process  its  material  parts 


THE   FAVORITE   OF   THE   IIAKKM.  143 

■  My  sister  Thieng  implored  the  king  in  vain  to  spare 
my  life  My  poor  mother  and  father  were  prostrated 
with  grief.  As  for  Boon,  she  never  uttered  a  single  word, 
except,  in  answer  to  my  inquiries  if  she  were  suffering 
much,  she  said  very  gently,  'Chan  cha  lah  pi  thort  * 
(Let  me  Bay  farewell,  dear).  Her  pallor  had  become  ex- 
treme, but  her  cheeks  still  burned;  all  the  beauty  of  her 
spirit  trembled  on  her  closed  eyelids.  She  appeared  as 
one  almost  divine. 

"  On  Sunday  morning  at  four  o'clock  the  faithful  and 
matchless  Boon  was  taken  from  our  cell  to  undergo  the 
sentence  pronounced  upon  her  and  her  husband.  The  day 
appointed  for  my  execution,  which  was  to  be  private,  ar- 
rived, and  I  had  no  wish  to  Live,  now  that  P'haya  P'hi 
Chitt  and  Boon  were  gone;  but  the  women  who  attended 
me  said  that  no  preparations  were  as  yet  made  for  it.  I 
wondered  why  I  was  permitted  to  live  so  long. 

"  After  two  weeks  of  cruel  waiting  to  join  my  beloved 
Boon,  I  was  removed  to  another  cell,  where  my  sister 
visited  me,  with  the  good  Princess  Somawati,  her  daugh- 
ter, at  whose  earnest  request,  as  I  was  told,  the  British 
Consul  *  had  pleaded  so  effectually  with  the  king  that  my 
life  had  been  granted  to  his  petition. 

"  Alas  !  it  was  Boon  who  deserved  to  live,  and  not  I. 
I  am  not  grateful  for  a  life  that  is  little  better  than  a 
curse  to  me.  God  sees  that  I  speak  the  truth.  Woe 
still  hovers  over  me.  It  is  the  doom  of  guilt  committed 
in  some  former  lifetime.  I  am  an  outcast  here,  and  in 
this  world  1  have  no  part,  while  everyday  only  lengthens 
out  my  life  of  sorrow." 

are  restored  to  the  higher  elements  Whereas  Imrial,  or  the  abandon- 
ment of  the  body  to  dogs  and  vulture,  inspires  a  peculiar  horror  ;  since, 
according  to  their  belief,  the  body  must  then  return  to  the  earth  and 
pass  through  countless  forms  of  the  lower  orders  of  creation,  before  it 
can  again  be  fitted  for  the  occupation  of  a  human 

*  Choy's  life  was  spared  at  the  intercession  of  Sir  Robert  J.  H.  Schorn- 
bergk,  her  Britannic  Majesty's  Consul  at  Bangkok. 


144  ROMANCE  OF  THE  HAEEM. 

Here  the  poor  girl  broke  off,  laid  her  head  on  the  table, 
and  wept,  as  I  never  saw  a  human  being  weep,  great  tears 
of  agony  and  remorse. 

As  soon  as  Choy  left  me,  I  hurried  home  and  wrote 
down  her  narrative  word  for  word,  as  nearly  as  I  could ; 
but  I  encountered  then,  as  always,  the  almost  insuperable 
difficulty  of  finding  a  fit  clothing  for  the  fervid  Eastern 
imagery  in  our  colder  and  more  precise  English. 

We  became  better  friends.  I  maintained  a  constant 
oversight  of  her,  and  persuaded  her  gradually  out  of  her 
griefs.  She  learned  in  time  to  take  pleasure  in  her 
English  studies,  and  found  comfort  in  the  love  of  our 
Father  in  heaven.  Without  repining  at  her  lot,  hard  as  it 
was,  or  boasting  of  her  knowledge,  but  with  a  loving, 
humble  heart,  she  read  and  blessed  the  language  that 
brought  her  nearer  to  a  compassionate  Saviour. 


RUNGEAH,    THE   CAMBODIAN    PROSELYTE 


MAV-rEAlI,  THE  LAOTIAN   SLAVE-GIRL.  145 


CHAPTER    XVI. 

MAY-PEAII,  THE  LAOTIAN   SLAVE-GIRL. 

ON  the  evening  of  the  10th  of  August,  1866,  I  found 
myself  suddenly  and  unexpectedly,  and  almost  with- 
out being  aware  of  it,  involved  in  a  conflict  with  the  king, 
who  thenceforth  regarded  me  with  distrust  and  suspicion, 
because  1  declined  to  affix  my  own  signature  to  a  certain 
letter  which  he  had  required  me  to  write  for  him. 

I  began  heartily  to  wish  myself  out  of  Siam,  though 
still  deeply  interested  and  absorbed  in  my  work  of  edu- 
cating the  prince,  —  the  present  King  of  Siam,  —  for  I 
felt  that,  with  regard  to  foreigners,  there  existed  no  lawrs 
and  customs  to  restrain  and  limit  the  capricious  temper 
and  extravagant  demands  of  the  king,  and  I  had  every- 
thing, too,  to  fear  from  the  jealousy  with  which  certain 
royal  courtiers  and  judges  watched  my  previously  growing 
influence  at  court.  The  heat  of  the  day  had  been  intense, 
the  atmosphere  was  sultry  and  oppressive,  and  every  now 
and  then  a  low,  rumbling  sound  of  distant  thunder  reached 
my  ears,  while  the  parched  trees  and  leaves  drooped  and 
hung  their  heads  as  if  impatient  of  waiting  for  the  prom- 
ised rain.  Nervous,  and  undecided  what  to  do,  I  returned 
home,  where  I  remained  prostrated  with  a  sense  of  ap- 
proaching danger.  From  time  to  time  I  had  had  similar 
conflicts  with  the  king,  which  very  greatly  disturbed  my 
already  too  much  impaired  health.  All  manner  of  fears 
which  the  mind  so  prodigally  produces  on  such  occasions 
came  crowding  upon  me  that  evening,  and  I  felt,  as  I  had 
never  before,  weighed  down  by  the  peculiar  sadness  and 
isolation  of  my  life  in  Siam. 

7  j 


146  ROMANCE  OF  THE  HAREM. 

In  this  frame  of  mind  I  sat  and  pondered  over  and  over 
again  the  only  course  remaining  open  to  me,  —  to  with- 
draw from  the  court,  —  when  I  was  suddenly  recalled  to 
what  was  passing  around  me  by  what  I  at  first  imagined 
must  be  an  apparition  or  some  delusion  of  my  own  mind. 
I  started  up  from  the  spot  where  for  hours  I  had  been 
seated  like  a  statue,  and,  looking  more  attentively,  per- 
ceived a  pair  of  bright  black  eyes  watching  me  with  the 
fixedness  of  a  basilisk,  through  the  leaves  of  some  flower- 
ing shrubs  that  grew  over  my  window.  My  first  impulse 
was  to  scream  for  help ;  but  I  was  soon  ashamed  of  my 
fears,  and,  summoning  all  my  courage,  I  demanded, "  Who 
is  there  ? " 

"  It  is  only  me,  your  ladyship,"  said  a  strange,  low 
voice.  "  I  have  been  waiting  here  a  long  while,  but  your 
servants  would  not  let  me  in ;  they  say  you  have  for- 
bidden them  to  let  any  Siamese  person  enter  your  house 
after  sunset." 

"  It  is  true,"  said  I ;  "  I  don't  want  to  see  any  one  this 
evening ;  I  am  ill  and  tired.  Now  go  away,  and,  if  you 
have  any  business  with  me,  come  to  me  in  the  morn- 
ing." 

"  P'hoodth  tho  ! "  said  the  woman,  speaking  still  in  the 
same  low  tones ;  "lam  not  a  Siamese,  and  you  do  not 
know  that  I  have  rowed  thirty  miles  against  the  tide  to 
come  and  see  you,  or  else  you  could  not  have  the  heart  to 
send  me  away." 

"  I  don't  want  to  know  anything,"  I  said  a  little  im- 
patiently ;  "  you  must  go  now,  and  you  know  it  is  not  safe 
for  you  to  be  away  from  home  at  this  late  hour  in  the 
day." 

"  0  lady  !  do  let  me  in ;  I  only  want  to  say  one  word 
to  you  in  private ;  please  do  let  me  in,"  whispered  the 
woman,  more  and  more  pleadingly. 

"  Then  say  what  you  have  to  tell  me  at  once,  and  from 


MAY-I'KAH,    THE   LAOTIAN   SLAVE-GIRL.  147 

where  you  arc"  T  replied ;  "there  is  no  one  here  to  over- 
hear you ;  for  I  cannot  let  you  in." 

•  Alas!  n  said  the  voice,  plaintively,  as  if  speaking  to 
herself,  "  I  would  not  have  come  all  this  long  distance 
but  that  I  heard  she  was  a  good  and  brave  woman,  — 
Borne  people  indeed  said  she  was  not  so,  —  still,  I  thought 
I  would  try  her,  and  now  she  says  she  cannot  let  me  in, 
a  poor  fugitive  and  desolate  slave-girl  like  me !  0  dear  ! 
O  dear:" 

■  Bat  I  am  afraid  I  cannot  help  you,  whatever  your 
trouble  may  be,"  I  said  more  gently,  touched  by  the 
woman's  despairing  tones.  "The  king  is  offended  with 
me,  and  the  judges  know  it,  and  I  have  no  more  influence 
with  them  now." 

As  I  said  tins,  the  girl  sprang  through  the  window  and 
came  forward,  and  exhibited  not  only  her  bright  eyes  but 
her  full  figure  and  somewhat  singular  dress,  for  she  was, 
as  she  had  stated,  not  a  Siamese,  but  a  Laotian.  She  held 
her  head  erect,  though  her  hands  were  clasped  in  the 
attitude  of  wild  supplication.  The  symmetry  of  her  form 
was  enhanced  by  a  broad  English  strap  or  belt  which  was 
buckled  round  her  waist,  and  which  had  the  effect  of 
showing  off  her  beautiful  figure  to  the  best  advantage. 
She  was  unusually  tall,  and  altogether  a  most  pleasing- 
looking  young  woman. 

The  moment  she  stood  before  me  she  commenced  talk- 
ing with  a  volubility  and  an  amount  of  action  which  it 
would  be  almost  impossible  to  describe.  Her  face  became 
so  animated,  and  her  tears  and  sobs  flowed  so  sponta- 
neously, that  I  stood  bewildered,  for,  in  truth,  I  had 
rarely  seen  so  interesting  and  so  natural  a  woman  in 
Siam. 

She  watched  my  countenance  during  the  whole  time 
she  was  speaking,  with  the  quickness  of  the  native  char- 
acter, and  I  began  at  length  to  suspect  that  she  prolonged 


148  ROMANCE  OF  THE  HAREM. 

her  statements  for  the  sole  purpose  of  forming  an  idea  of 
her  success,  so  that  she  might  vary  her  line  of  action 
according  as  circumstances  revealed  themselves;  and 
even  while  I  had  a  glimmering  perception  of  this,  and 
also  that  perhaps  she  was  only  acting,  my  interest  in  her 
increased  so  rapidly  that  she  became  convinced  in  her 
own  mind,  I  think,  of  having  gained  my  entire  sympathy. 

"  Ah  !  I  knew  you  had  a  kind  heart,"  said  the  woman, 
as  she  came  forward  with  the  graceful  salutation  of  her 
country,  and  laid  a  thick  Oriental  letter,  enveloped  in  vel- 
vet and  fastened  with  silken  cords  and  sealed  with  Eng- 
lish sealing-wax,  at  my  feet. 

She  then  dropped  on  her  knees,  and  knelt  before  me  in 
an  attitude  of  mute  supplication. 

I  was  never  more  embarrassed  in  my  life,  with  that 
mysterious  letter,  enveloped  in  crimson  velvet,  and  written 
on  the  outside  in  characters  I  had  never  before  seen, 
lying  at  my  feet,  and  this  woman  kneeling  there  with 
such  strange,  wild  energy  in  her  manner,  such  vehement 
pleading  in  her  dark,  passionate  eyes,  imploring  my  aid  in 
a  secret,  daring  scheme  which  I  had  neither  the  courage 
nor  the  ability  to  undertake,  nor  yet  the  stoutness  of  heart 
to  refuse  point-blank. 

I  therefore  told  the  woman,  with  as  much  gentleness  as 
I  could  summon,  that  it  was  impossible  for  me  to  aid 
her,  and  almost  as  much  as  my  life  was  worth  to  become 
the  bearer  of  her  letter  to  any  prisoner  in  the  palace.  "  It 
is  not  for  my  own  personal  safety  I  fear  so  much,  but  for 
my  son's,  whose  young  life  depends  on  mine." 

As  I  was  speaking,  the  woman's  face  grew  still  and 
cold,  her  features  became  rigid  and  fixed  as  stone,  large, 
dewy  drops  of  perspiration  broke  out  on  her  forehead,  and 
there  fell  upon  her  face  such  an  expression  of  blankness 
and  utter  desolation  that  I  thought  she  was  absolutely 
dying  from  the  pain  of  her  disappointment. 


MAY-rEAII,  Tin:  LAOTIAN   slave-girl.  149 

This  produced  such  a  revulsion  of  feeling  in  me  that  I 
start.  .I  from  my  seat  in  terror,  and,  taking  her  chilled, 
moist  hands  in  mine,  said,  anxiously  :  "  Does  what  I  have 
said  distress  you  so  much  ?  Why  won't  you  speak  ?  If 
tlk'iv  is  any  way  by  which  I  can  help  or  comfort  you,  tell 
me.     Please  beU  me,  and  I  '11  try  to  do  my  best  for  you." 

The  effect  of  this  promise  was  immediate,  but  it  was 
some  time  before  the  woman  could  recover  her  voice  ; 
then,  Laying  her  hand  upon  my  arm,  she  spoke  hurriedly, 
but  in  tin1  same  soft,  low  tones  and  fervent  manner. 

"You  have  not  asked  me  my  name  and  who  I  am," 
she  said.  "  But  I  '11  tell  you ;  I  am  sure  you  will  not  be- 
tray me,  and  it  may  be  this  is  the  last  opportunity  I  shall 
have  <>!'  serving  my  dear  foster-sister." 

As  she  uttered  these  words  the  hope  and  courage 
which  had  evidently  been  revived  by  the  sympathy  she 
saw  in  my  face  now  seemed  to  forsake  her;  tears  and  sobs 
burst  from  her  afresh,  and  she  crouched  at  my  feet  as  if 
utterly  overwhelmed  with  her  grief.  At  last,  by  a  strong 
effort,  she  turned  to  me,  and  said  :  "  My  name  is  May-Peah ; 
my  home  is  in  the  city  of  Zienmai,  i.  e.  Chiengmai ;  my 
father,  Manetho,  is  one  of  the  most  trusted  councillors 
and  friends,  though  a  slave,  of  the  Prince  P'hra  Chow 
Soorwang.  My  mother  was  a  household  slave  in  the 
family  of  the  prince  when  my  father  obtained  her  for  his 
wife,  and  I  was  only  a  month  old  when  she  was  asked 
to  be  the  wet-nurse  and  mother  of  the  little  infant 
daughter  of  the  prince,  whose  will-  had  died  in  child- 
birth; and  thus  it  was  that  I  became  the  life-long  com- 
panion and  friend  and  foster-sister  of  the  young  Princess 
Snnartha  Vismlta  Bnt  alas :  dear  lady,  she  is  now,  and 
has  been  ever  since  the  death  of  her  husband,  the  second 
king,  a  prisoner  in  the  palace  of  the  supreme  king,  and 
neither  does  her  brother  nor  any  one  else  know  whether 
she  is  alive  or  dead. 


150  ROMANCE  OF  THE  HAREM. 

"  This  letter  has  nothing  in  it  that  will  bring  you  into 
any  trouble.  It  is  only  one  of  greeting  from  her  brother, 
my  master,  the  Prince  O'Dong  Karmatha.  0,  dear 
lady,  don't  say  no  !  the  gods  will  bless  and  reward  you, 
if,  sooner  or  later,  you  will  put  it  into  her  hands  ;  but  it 
must  be  done  with  the  greatest  caution  and  secrecy,  and 
it  may  be  the  means  of  saving  her  life.  0,  think  of 
that,  of  saving  her  life  !  for,  if  alive,  she  must  be  dying  of 
grief  and  pain  to  think  that  we  have  never  yet  replied  to 
a  letter  she  sent  us  almost  a  year  ago." 
"  And  where  is  the  prince,  your  master  ? " 
"  He  is  on  a  visit  to  the  governor  of  Pak-lat." 
Saying  tins,  she  almost  instantaneously  sprang  out  of 
the  window,  and  fled  towards  the  river,  as  if  conscious 
of  having  delayed  too  long  her  return  home ;  as  she  did 
so,  I  noticed  that  she  wore  in  the  folds  of  her  skirt  a 
small  Laotian  dagger  attached  to  her  English  belt. 

The  storm  which  had  been  gathering  in  strength  for 
hours  now  burst  forth,  and  for  full  three  hours  the 
thunder  and  lightning  and  rain  were  the  only  things  that 
could  be  seen  or  heard ;  and  I  sat  in  the  same  spot,  lost  in 
anxious  fears  for  the  safety  of  that  solitary  woman  bat- 
tling with  the  tremendous  currents  of  the  Mother  of 
Waters. 

It  was  an  awful  night.  Sick  at  heart,  and  full  of  natural 
and  unnatural  fears,  I  locked  up  the  letter  at  last  in  my 
drawer,  and  tried  to  forget  in  sleep  the  disturbing  events 
of  the  day. 


THE  PRINCESS   SUNAKTIIA  VISMITA  151 


CHAPTEE    XVII. 

AN  ACCIDENTAL  DISCOVERY  OF  THE  WHEREABOUTS  OF  THE 
PRINCESS   SUNARTHA  VISMITA  * 

FOR  some  time  afterwards  the  mysterious  letter  re- 
mained locked  up  in  my  drawer,  as  nobody  whom  I 
knew  seemed  to  be  aware  even  of  the  existence  of  such 
a  person  as  the  Princess  Sunartha  Vismita,  much  less  of 
her  imprisonment  in  the  palace,  and  I  was  afraid  to  open 
my  lips  on  the  subject  before  a  stranger,  lest  I  should  in- 
advertently say  something  that  might  still  more  imperil 
her  health  and  safety. 

The  king  was  once  more  reconciled  to  me,  and  had 
token  me  into  greater  confidence  than  ever.  Just  at  this 
time  he  was  laid  up  with  an  illness  which  confined  him 
to  his  topmost  chamber,  where  I  was  summoned  every 
day  to  write  notes,  or  translate,  with  the  help  of  the  na- 
tive female  secretary,  English  documents  into  Siamese. 

On  one  occasion,  as  I  was  at  work  in  a  room  adjoining 
the  royal  bedchamber  over  a  mass  of  perplexing  manu- 
scripts in  the  king's  own  handwriting,  to  be  arranged  for 
publication  in  the  "Bangkok  Recorder,"  the  chief  of  the 
Amazons  brought  in  the  intelligence  that  the  prisoner, 
Princess  Sunartha  Vismita,  was  very  ill;  and, his  Majesty 
being  in  the  best  possible  humor,  haying  just  finished  the 
above-mentioned  manuscript,  which  completely  refuted,  as 
he  fondly  believed,  Dr.  Bradley's  theory  of  Original  De- 
pravity, gave  orders  that  the  princess  should  take  an 
airing  in  the  palace  gardens,  and  be  removed  to  another 

*  See  u  The  English  Governess  at  the  Siamese  Court,"  p.  233. 


152  ROMANCE  OF  THE  HAREM. 

cell,  and  that  the  chief  lady  physician  should  attend  her 
without  delay. 

The  Amazon  made  haste  to  cany  out  her  instructions, 
and  I  quietly  left  my  desk  to  follow  her. 

I  shall  not  attempt  to  enter  into  a  particular  descrip- 
tion of  the  prison  in  the  interior  of  this  strange  city. 
Indeed,  it  would  be  impossible  to  describe  with  any  de- 
gree of  accuracy  so  irregular  and  rambling  an  edifice. 
The  principal  features  consisted  of  a  great  hall  and  two 
courts  or  enclosures,  one  behind  the  other,  in  which  the 
prisoners  were  permitted  to  walk  at  stated  times.  Three 
vaulted  dungeons  occupied  three  sides  of  the  enclosures ; 
immediately  below  these  were  the  cells  already  described 
in  my  former  book.* 

The  upper  cells  were  used  more  or  less  for  the  recep- 
tion of  women  convicted  of  petty  crimes,  such  as  gam- 
bling, stealing,  immodest  language,  etc.  Besides  these, 
there  were  other  dungeons  under  the  floor  in  various 
parts  of  the  prison,  some  of  them  quite  dark,  and  closed 
by  huge  trap-doors,  designed  for  those  whom  it  might  be 
expedient  to  treat  with  peculiar  severity.  The  prison 
was  approached  by  two  long  corridors,  opening  into  the 
courts ;  here  were  several  small  secret  apartments,  or  cells, 
in  which  prisoners  condemned  to  death,  either  by  the 
Supreme  Court  or  by  the  still  more  supreme  will  of  the 
king,  passed  the  last  days  of  their  existence.  It  was  in 
one  of  these  that  the  princess  was  confined. 

The  opening  of  the  prison  doors  attracted,  as  usual, 
a  crowd  of  idle  slave  women  and  girls,  who  hailed  the 
slightest  event  that  broke  the  monotony  of  their  lives 
with  demonstrations  of  the  liveliest  joy ;  and  as  I  stood 
there  a  guard  of  Amazons  appeared,  marching  in  file,  and 
in  the  centre  was  the  Laotian  princess,  followed  by  two 
of  her  countrywomen.      She  did  not  seem  to  notice  the 

*  See  "  The  English  Governess  at  the  Siamese  Court,"  p.  107. 


THE   riUNCESS   SUNAETIIA  VISMITA.  153 

general  sensation  which  her  appearance  created,  nor  the 
eager  curiosity  with  which  she  was  regarded,  but  walked 
on  wearing  the  depressed  and  wearied  look  of  one  who 
Bought  to  medicate  on  her  sorrows  in  silence  and  privacy. 
II  features  were  remarkably  stern,  however,  and  she 
moved  along  with  a  firm  and  steady  step. 

I  followed  with  the  crowd,  who  kept  at  a  respectful 
distance. 

When  the  procession  arrived  at  one  of  the  nearest 
gardens,  Laid  out  in  the  Chinese  style,  the  princess,  with  a 
proud  intimation  that  she  could  go  no  farther,  took  her 
seat  on  the  edge  of  an  artificial  rock  beside  a  small  pond 
of  water  in  which  gold  and  silver  fish  sported  merrily  to- 
gether. She  hung  down  her  head,  as  if  the  fresh  air  had 
no  power  to  remove  the  smallest  portion  of  her  sorrows 
and  sufferings. 

A  deep  murmur  of  compassion  now  rose,  not  only  from 
the  idle  crowd  of  women  and  girls,  who  gazed  awe- 
stricken  into  her  face,  but  from  the  "  Amazonian  Guard," 
those  well-disciplined  automatons  of  the  royal  palace 
of  Siam. 

I  could  see  that  she  just  raised  her  dark,  sad  eyes  to  us, 
and  then  cast  them  down  again ;  and  that  their  expres- 
sion, as  well  as  that  of  her  whole  attitude,  was  one  of 
mute  and  touching  appeal  against  this  most  ungenerous 
usage. 

After  the  lapse  of  an  hour  the  procession  resumed  its 
course,  and  the  <p  rd,  who  had  by  this  time  exchanged 
looks  and  whispers  of  sympathy  to  their  hearts'  content, 
—  while  some  poor  half-palsied  and  aged  slave-women 
had  lifted  up  their  hands  and  prayed  aloud  for  the  happi- 
ness of  the  ill-fated  princess,  —  brought  up  the  rear,  till 
they  saw  the  same  prison  doors  open  and  close  once  more 
on  the  noble  lady  and  her  attendants,  when  they  dis- 
persed to  their  various  abodes. 
7* 


154  ROMANCE  OF  THE  HAREM. 

When  I  returned  home,  the  scene  would  constantly  re- 
produce itself,  and  my  thoughts  would  unceasingly  revert 
to  those  sad  eyes  of  which  I  had  only  caught  a  hasty 
glance ;  and  that  utter  friendlessness,  expressed  in  a  few 
brief,  slight  actions,  dwelt  in  my  memory  like  the  im- 
pressions of  childhood,  never  to  be  wholly  forgotten. 

I  could  not  help  picturing  to  myself  how  those  eyes 
would  brighten  if  I  could  but  put  that  letter  into  her 
hands,  and  tell  her  of  one  earnest  friend  at  least  whose 
love  and  sympathy  knew  no  bounds. 

This  feeling  at  length  urged  me,  now  that  with  the  re- 
stored favor  of  the  king  there  could  be  no  real  danger  to 
myself  and  my  boy,  to  find  some  means  of  gaining  access 
to  the  poor,  sad  prisoner. 

I  immediately  put  the  letter  into  my  pocket,  and  pinned 
it  carefully  there,  and  determined  that  after  my  school 
duties  were  over  I  would  advise  with  my  good  friend 
Lady  Thieng,  of  whom  mention  has  already  been  made. 
Only  one  circumstance  troubled  my  mind  greatly,  and 
it  was  how  to  broach  the  subject  to  her  in  the  presence 
of  the  number  of  women  who  always  attended  her  at  all 
times  and  in  all  places. 


LADY  TIIIENG,   THE   IIEAD  WIFE.  155 


CHAPTER    XVIII. 

LADY  TIIIENG,   THE   HEAD   WIFE  AND   SUPERINTENDENT  OF 
THE   ROYAL  CUISINE. 

LADY  THIENG  was  a  woman  of  about  thirty,  fair 
even  to  whiteness,  with  jet  black  hair  and  eyes ;  by 
nature  enthusiastic,  clever,  and  kind,  but  only  partially 
educated  when  compared  to  many  other  of  the  cultivated 
and  intellectual  women  of  the  royal  harem. 

She  was  the  first  mother, — having  brought  his  Maj- 
esty four  sons  and  eight  daughters,  —  for  which  reason 
she  was  regarded  with  peculiar  veneration  and  ranked  as 
the  luad  wile  in  the  palace,  the  queen  consort  being 
dead  All  these  considerations  combined  entitled  her 
to  the  lucrative  and  responsible  position  of  superintend- 
ent of  the  royal  cuisine. 

She  contrived  to  be  always  in  favor  with  the  king, 
simply  because  she  was  the  only  woman  among  all  that 
vast  throng  who  really  loved  him  ;  though  at  no  period 
of  her  life  had  she  ever  enjoyed  the  unenviable  distinction 
of  being  the  "  favorite." 

Her  natural  enthusiasm  and  kindliness  of  disposition 
made  her  generally  loved,  however;  while,  despite  her 
immense  wealth  and  influence,  no  woman's  life  had  a  truer 
and  deeper  purpose.  She  was  always  ready  t<>  sympathize 
with  and  help  her  suffering  Bisters,  whatever  their  short- 
comings might  have  been,  or  whatever  the  means  she  was 
obliged  to  resort  to  in  order  to  render  them  the  smallest 
assistance. 

She  reconciled  all  her  little  plots,  intrigues,  and  decep- 
tions to  herself  by  saying :  "  Surely  it  is  better  for  him 


156  ROMANCE  OF  THE  HAREM. 

not  to  know  everything;  he  knows  too  much  already, 
what  with  his  Siamese  and  his  English  and  his  Pali  and 
his  Sanscrit.  I  wonder  he  can  ever  get  to  sleep  at  all 
with  so  many  different  tongues  in  his  head." 

It  was  after  school  that  I  accompanied  one  of  my  most 
promising  pupils,  the  Princess  Somawati,  one  of  Thieng's 
daughters,  to  her  mother's  house.  Being  the  head  of  the 
royal  cuisine,  Thieng  had  two  houses.  One  was  her  home, 
where  her  children  were  born  and  brought  up,  —  a  quaint, 
stately  edifice  with  stuccoed  fronts,  situated  in  the  ladies' 
or  fashionable  part  of  the  inner  city,  and  in  the  midst 
of  a  pleasant  garden.  In  the  other,  adjoining  the  royal 
kitchen,  she  spent  the  greater  part  of  each  day  in  select- 
ing, overlooking,  and  sometimes  preparing  with  her  own  fair 
hands  many  of  the  costly  dainties  that  were  destined  to 
grace  the  royal  table. 

Thieng  received  me  with  her  usual  bright,  pleasant 
smile  and  hearty  embrace ;  to  give  me  the  latter,  she 
put  down  her  youngest  baby,  a  boy  about  two  years  old, 
to  whom  I  had,  during  my  repeated  visits  to  her  house, 
taught  a  number  of  little  English  rhymes  and  sentences, 
and  who  always  accosted  me  with,  "  Mam,  mam,  how 
do  do  ?  "  or  "  Mam,  make  a  bow,  make  a  bow  "  ;  while  he 
bobbed  his  own  little  head,  and  blinked  his  bright  eyes  at 
me,  to  the  infinite  delight  of  his  mother  and  her  hand- 
maids. 

Little  "  Chai "  settled  himself  in  my  lap,  as  usual,  and 
the  host  of  women,  like  children  eager  to  be  amused, 
gathered  around  to  listen  to  our  baby-talk ;  and  great  was 
the  general  uproar  when  Chai  would  mimic  me  in  singing 
scraps  of  baby-songs,  or  thrust  an  orange  into  my  mouth, 
or  put  on  my  hat  and  cloak  to  promenade  the  chamber, 
and  say  "  How  do  do  ? "  like  a  veritable  Englishman ; 
then  his  fond  mother,  in  ecstasies  of  joy,  would  snatch 
him  to  her  arms   and   cover   him  with  kisses,  and  the 


LADY  THIENG,  THE  HEAD  WIFE.         157 

delighted  spectators  would  whisper  that  that  boy  was  as 
olever  as  hie  Gather,  and  must  surely  come  to  the  throne 
some  day  or  other. 

In  the  midst  of  these  fascinating  employments  one  of 
the  Lady-physicians  was  announced. 

Thieng  retired  at  once  with  her  into  an  inner  chamber, 
carrying  her  beloved  Chai  in  her  arms,  and  beckoning  me 
to  folio*  her.  Here  she  consigned  ( Ihai  to  me  for  further 
instruction  in  English,  and  laid  herself  down  to  be  sham- 
pooed. 

I  felt  that  now  was  my  opportunity;  but  I  waited  a 
little  in  order  to  make  sure  whether  the  doctor  was  to  be 
trusted 

The  ladies  were  silent  for  a  little  while  ;  no  word  was 
spoken,  with  the  exception  of  a  sigh  that  now  and  then 
escaped  from  poor  Thieng,  partly  to  indicate  the  responsi- 
bilities of  her  position,  and  partly  to  show  that  the  par- 
ticular number  which  was  being  manipulated  was  the  one 
most  affected.  Whatever  might  have  been  the  question 
between  the  ladies,  the  doctor  waited  for  Thieng  to  give 
the  word,  and  Thieng  evidently  waited  for  the  termination 
of  my  visit.  But  seeing  that  I  made  no  attempt  to  go, 
she  at  length  turned  to  the  doctor,  and  said :  "  My  pen 
arai,  phot  thoe,  yai  klua  "  (Never  mind,  speak  out,  don't 
be  afraid),  all  of  which  I  understood  as  perfectly  as  I  did 
English. 

The  doctor  ceased  her  manipulations,  and,  after  having 
cast  a  cautions  -lance  round   the  room  and  shaken  1 
head  sorrowfully, remarked :  "I  don't  think  shell  live 
many  weeks  Longer." 

Thieng  Bat   bolt  upright,  and,  clasping  her  hands  to- 
gether, said,  "  I'll Ith  thu  "'  * 

"It  is  impossible,"  added  the  doctor,  very  earnestly. 

*  An  ejaculation  in  frequent  use  among  the  Buddhists,  and  which 
means,  "dear  Buddha,"  or  "dear  God." 


158  ROMANCE  OF  THE  HAREM. 

"  It  were  better  to  put  her  to  death  at  once  than  to  kill 
her  by  inches,  as  they  are  now  doing." 

"  P'hra  Buddh  the  Chow,  *  help  us  !  "  cried  Thieng,  still 
more  agitated.  "  What  shall  I  do  ?  What  can  I  do  to 
save  her  ? " 

"Something  must  be  done,  and  at  once,"  replied  the 
doctor,  suggestively. 

"  Well,"  said  Thieng,  "  why  don't  you  draw  up  a  paper 
and  give  it  to  Mai  Ying  Thaphan?"  (the  chief  of  the 
Amazons.)  "  And  now  mind  that  you  say  she  cannot  live 
a  day  longer  unless  she  is  removed  from  that  close  cell 
and  allowed  to  take  an  airing  every  day." 

"  Poor  child !  poor  child ! "  repeated  Thieng,  tenderly,  to 
herself.  "  With  such  a  noble  heart  to  perish  in  such  a  way ! 
I  wish  I  could  find  some  means  to  help  her  to  live  a  little 
longer,  till  things  begin  to  look  more  bright." 

"  He  has  forgotten  all  about  her  by  this  time,"  rejoined 
the  doctor. 

The  physician  then  took  her  leave  of  Thieng,  and  I 
inquired  if  they  had  been  speaking  of  the  Princess 
Sunartha  Vismita.  The  good  lady  started  and  looked  at 
me  as  if  she  supposed  me  to  be  supernaturally  endowed 
with  the  art  of  unravelling  mysteries. 

"  Why !  how  do  you  know  the  name,"  said  she,  "  when 
we  never  even  mentioned  it  ? " 

I  then  told  her  of  the  visit  I  had  had  from  May-Peah, 
and  begged  of  her  to  help  me  to  deliver  the  letter  to  the 
dying  princess  as  soon  as  possible. 

"  We  are  all  prisoners  here,  dear  friend,"  said  Thieng, 
"  and  we  have  to  be  very  careful  what  we  do  ;  but  if  you 
promise  never  to  say  a  word  on  this  subject  to  any  one, 
and  in  case  of  discovery  to  bear  all  the  blame,  whatever 
that  may  be,  yourself,  I  '11  help  you." 

I  gave  her  the  required  promise  gladly,  and  thanked 
her  warmly  at  the  same  time. 

*  One  of  the  names  of  the  Buddha. 


LADY  THEING,  THE  HEAD  WIFE.         159 

"  You  must  not  think  me  weak  and  selfish,  dear  mam," 
said  she,  after  a  little  reflection.  "You  are  a  foreigner, 
he  has  not  the  same  power  over  you,  and  you  can  go  away 
win  never  you  like ;  but  we  who  are  his  subjects  must 
stay  here  and  suffer  his  will  and  pleasure,  whatever  hap- 
pens." 

With  that  she  told  me  to  come  to  her  after  sunset,  and 
1  bade  her  a  grateful  adieu  and  returned  home. 


160  BOMANCE  OF  THE  HAEEM. 


CHAPTEE    XIX. 

THE   PRINCESS   SUNARTHA  VISMITA 

AN  hour  after  dark  I  again  sought  the  good  and  ten- 
der-hearted Thieng,  who  not  only  hurried  me  off, 
telling  me  in  a  voice  of  great  exultation  that  the  physi- 
cian's report  had  in  a  great  measure  ameliorated  the 
rigorous  confinement  to  which  the  royal  prisoner  had 
hitherto  been  subjected,  but  bravely  sent  two  of  her 
women  to  tell  the  Amazons  to  show  me  the  apartment 
to  which  the  sick  princess  had  been  removed. 

The  small  apartment  into  which  I  was  ushered  was 
dimly  lighted  by  a  wick  burning  in  an  earthen  vessel. 
The  only  window  was  thrown  wide  open.  Immediately 
beneath  it,  on  a  pair  of  wooden  trucks  which  supported  a 
narrow  plank,  covered  with  a  flowered  mat  and  satin  pil- 
low, lay  the  wasted  form  of  the  Princess  Sunartha  Vis- 
mita.  Her  dress  was  that  of  a  Laotian  lady  of  high 
rank.  It  consisted  of  a  scarlet  silk  skirt  falling  in  firm 
folds  to  her  feet,  a  black,  flowered  silk  vest,  and  a  long 
veil  or  scarf  of  Indian  gauze  thrown  across  her  shoulders ; 
some  rings  of  great  value  and  beauty  and  a  heavy  gold 
chain  were  her  only  ornaments.  Her  hair  was  combed 
smoothly  back,  bound  in  a  massive  knot  behind,  and  con- 
fined by  a  perfect  tiara  of  diamond-headed  pins.  She 
was  not  beautiful ;  but  when  you  looked  at  her  you  never 
thought  of  her  features,  for  the  defiant  and  heroic  pride 
that  flashed  from  her  large,  dark,  melancholy  eyes  fixed 
your  attention.  It  was  a  face  never  to  be  forgotten.  At 
her    feet  were   two  other  truckle-beds;   on   these  were 


THE  PRINCESS   SUNARTIIA   VISMITA.  1G1 

stated  the  two   young  Laotian  women  who  shared  her 
oapth  iuv,  and  who  looked  very  wan  and  sad. 

Advancing  unannounced  close  to  this  mournful  group,  I 
Bat  down  near  them,  while  the  dark,  depressing  influence 
of  the  place  stole  upon  my  spirits  and  filled  me  with  the 
sanif  dismal  gloom. 

The  princess,  who  had  been  gazing  at  the  little  bit  of 
sky,  of  which  she  could  only  get  a  glimpse  through  the 
iron  ban  of  the  open  window,  turned  upon  me  the  same 
quiet,  self-absorbed  look,  manifesting  neither  surprise  nor 
displeasure  at  seeing  me  enter  her  apartment 

It  was  a  look  that  spoke  of  utter  hopelessness  of  ever 
being  extricated  from  thai  forlorn  place,  and  a  quiet  con- 
viction that  she  was  very  ill,  perhaps  dying,  yet  without 
a  trace  of  fear  or  anxiety. 

Til.*  air  was  heavy  and  difficult  to  breathe,  and  for  a 
moment  or  two  I  was  silent,  confounded  by  the  unex- 
pect.  •«  I  1  >ra very  and  fortitude  evinced  by  the  prisoner.  But, 
quickly  recovering  my  self-possession,  I  inquired  about 
her  health. 

"  I  am  well,"  said  the  lady,  with  a  proud  and  indifferent 
manner.     "  Pray,  why  have  you  come  here  ?  " 

With  a  sense  of  infinite  relief  I  told  her  that  my  visit 

a  private  one  to  herself. 
"Is  that  the  truth?"  she  inquired,  looking  rather  at 
her  women  lor  some  confirmation  than  at  me  for  a  reply. 
"It  is  indeed,"]  answered,  unhesitatingly  j  "  I  have 
come  to  you  as  one  woman  would  come  to  another  who 
is  in  trouble." 

"  But  how  may  that  he?"  she  rejoined,  haughtily.  "You 
must  know,  madam,  that  all  women  are  not  alike;  some 
are  horn  princesses,  and  some  are  born  slaves."  She  pro- 
nounced these  words  very  slowly ,  and  in  the  court  lan- 
guage of  the  Siamese. 

"  Yes,  we  are  not  all  alike,  dear  lady,"  I  replied,  gently ; 


162  ROMANCE  OF  THE  HAREM. 

"  I  have  not  come  here  out  of  mere  idle  curiosity,  but  be- 
cause I  could  not  refuse  your  foster-sister  May-Peah's  re- 
quest to  do  you  a  service." 

"  What  did  you  say  ?  "  cried  the  lady,  joyfully  rising, 
and  drawing  me  towards  her,  putting  her  arms  ever  so 
lovingly  round  my  neck,  and  laying  her  burning  cheek 
against  mine.     "  Did  you  say  May-Peah,  May-Peah  ?  " 

Without  another  word,  for  I  could  not  speak,  I  was  so 
much  moved,  I  drew  out  of  my  pocket  the  mysterious 
letter,  and  put  it  into  her  hands. 

I  wish  I  could  see  again  such  a  look  of  surprise  and 
joy  as  that  which  illuminated  her  proud  face.  So  rapid 
was  the  change  from  despair  to  gladness,  that  she  seemed 
for  the  moment  supremely  beautiful. 

Her  lips  trembled,  and  tears  filled  her  eyes,  as  with  a 
nervous  movement  she  tore  open  the  velvet  covering  and 
leaned  towards  the  earthen  lamp  to  read  her  precious 
letter. 

I  could  not  doubt  that  she  had  a  tender  heart,  for  there 
was  a  beautiful  flush  on  her  wan  face,  which  was  every 
now  and  then  faintly  perceptible  in  the  nickering  lamp- 
light. 

A  smile  half  of  triumph  and  half  of  sadness  curved 
her  fine  lip  as  she  finished  the  letter  and  turned  to  com- 
municate its  contents  to  her  eager  companions  in  a  lan- 
guage unknown  to  me. 

After  this  the  three  women  talked  together  long  and 
anxiously,  the  two  attendants  urging  their  mistress  to  do 
something  to  which  apparently  she  would  not  consent, 
for  at  last  she  threw  the  letter  away  angrily,  and  covered 
her  face  with  her  hands,  as  if  unable  to  resist  their  argu- 
ments. 

The  elder  of  the  women  quietly  took  up  the  letter  and 
read  it  several  times  aloud  to  her  companion.  She  then 
opened  a  betel-box  and  drew  out  of  it  an  inkhorn,  a 


THE  PRINCESS   SUNARTHA   VISMITA.  1G3 

small  reed,  and  long  roll  of  yellow  paper,  on  which  she 
began  a  lengthy  and  labored  epistle,  now  and  then  rub- 
bing out  the  words  she  had  written  with  her  finger,  and 
commencing  afresh  with  renewed  vigor.  When  the  letter 
was  finished,  I  never  in  my  life  saw  a  more  unsightly, 
blotted  affair  than  it  was,  and  T  fell  to  wondering  if  any 
mortal  on  earth  would  have  skill  and  ingenuity  enough  to 
decipher  its  meaning.  But  she  folded  it  carefully,  and 
put  it  into  a  lovely  blue  silk  cover  which  she  took  from 
that  self-same  box,  —  which  might  have  been  Aladdin's 
wonderful  lamp  turned  inside  out,  for  aught  I  knew  to 
the  contrary,  —  and,  stitching  up  the  bag  or  cover,  she  sewed 
on  the  outside  a  bit  of  paper  addressed  in  the  same  mys- 
terious and  unknown  letters,  which  bore  a  strong  resem- 
blance to  the  Birmese  characters  turned  upside  down,  and 
were  altogether  as  weird  and  hieroglyphic  as  the  ancient 
characters  found  in  the  Pahlavi  and  Deri  manuscript. 
When  all  her  labors  were  completed,  she  handed  it  to  me 
with  a  hopeful  smile  on  her  face. 

Meanwhile  the  princess,  who  seemed  to  have  been 
plunged  in  a  very  profound  and  serious  meditation, 
turned  and  addressed  me  with  an  air  of  mystery  and 
doubt :  "  Did  May-Peah  promise  you  any  money  ? " 

On  being  answered  in  the  negative,  "  Do  you  want  any 
money  ? "  she  again  inquired. 

"  No,  thank  you,"  I  replied.  "  Only  tell  me  to  whom  I 
am  to  carry  this  letter,  for  I  cannot  read  the  address,  and 
I  '11  endeavor  to  serve  you  to  the  best  of  my  ability." 

When  I  had  done  speaking  she  seemed  surprised  and 
pleased,  for  she  again  put  her  arms  round  about  my  neck, 
and  embraced  me  twice  or  thrice  in  the  most  affectionate 
manner,  entreating  me  to  believe  that  she  would  always 
be  my  grateful  friend,  and  that  she  would  always  bless 
me  in  her  thoughts,  and  enjoining  me  to  deliver,  the 
letter  into  no  other  hands  but  those  of  May-Peah,  or  her 


164  ROMANCE  OF  THE  HAEEM. 

brother,  the  Prince  O'Dong  Karmatha,  who  was  concealed 
for  the  present,  as  she  said,  in  the  house  of  the  Governor 
of  Pak  Lat. 

I  returned  her  warm  embraces,  and  went  home  some- 
what happier  ;  but  I  seemed  to  hear  throughout  the  rest 
of  the  night  the  creaking  of  the  huge  prison  door  which 
had  turned  so  reluctantly  on  its  rusty  hinges. 


PAK  LAUT,  OK  THE  MOUTH  OF  THE  OCEAN.    165 


CHAPTEE   XX. 

PAK  LAUT,   OR  THE  MOUTH   OF  THE   OCEAN. 

PAK  LAT,  or,  more  properly,  Pak  Laut,  is  situated  a 
few  miles  above  Pak  Nam,  and  is  in  itself  a  pic- 
turesque village  containing  from  six  to  seven  thousand 
inhabitants.  The  most  important  portion  of  the  town 
faces  a  beautiful  bend  of  the  great  river  Meinam,  and 
is  rather  irregularly  built,  and  surrounded  by  a  great  many 
rude  houses  and  shops,  some  of  them  quite  old,  and 
others  quite  new. 

A  magnificent  new  Buddhist  temple  is  seen  gradually 
raising  its  head  close  by  the  side  of  an  ancient  one  which 
has  so  far  crumbled  to  decay  that  the  bright  sun  pours  down 
unchecked  a  flood  of  golden  light  on  the  tapering  crown 
of  a  huge  brass  image  of  the  Buddha,  which  sits  with  its 
hands  folded  in  undisturbed  and  profound  contemplation 
on  its  glittering  altar.  On  the  other  side,  as  far  as  the 
eye  can  reach,  stretch  unlimited  groves  of  bananas  and 
extensive  plantations  of  cocoanut  and  betel-nut  palms. 
The  mango,  tamarind,  banyan,  and  boh,  or  bogara,  trees 
here  are  of  wonderful  size  and  beauty,  ponderous  and 
overshadowing,  as  if  they  had  weathered  a  thousand 
summers  and  winters,  and  would  live  unimpaired  through 
a  thousand  more ;  and  as  you  wander  through  the  deep 
cool  shade  which  they  afford,  you  find  that  many  of  them 
must  have  served  hundreds  of  years  ago  —  before  Buddh- 
ism was  introduced  into  Siam,  and  at  a  period  when 
both  the  "  Tree  "  and  "  Serpent  "  worship  prevailed  here, 
as  in  other  parts  of  the  Old  World  —  as  altars  to  a  gen- 
eration long  gone  by. 


166  ROMANCE  OF  THE  HAREM. 

Many  of  their  huge  old  trunks  have  been  hollowed 
out  and  carved  in  the  form  of  oriel  chapels  or  windows, 
in  the  inmost  recesses  of  which  may  still  be  traced  the 
faint  remains  of  what  was  intended  to  represent  the 
cobra-de-capello,  or  hooded  snake  of  India,  now  covered 
over  with  tender  leaves  and  brilliant  flowers,  and  forming 
at  once  the  cosiest  and  most  delicious  of  couches  for  the 
weary  traveller  to  rest  upon. 

Pak  Laut,  with  all  its  ancient  splendor  and  attractive- 
ness, had  one  drawback,  and  that  was  a  very  serious  one. 
Among  the  village  edifices  was  an  open  sala,  or  hall, 
which  had  long  been  the  favorite  place  of  rendezvous 
for  all  the  rough  and  riotous  seamen,  English  and  Ameri- 
can, the  crews  of  the  merchant  vessels  trading  to  Bang- 
kok; and  it  was  in  consequence  set  down  in  the  code 
of  etiquette  observed  by  the  dozen  or  so  of  the  4lite  of 
the  English  and  American  foreigners  who  resided  at 
Bangkok  "  as  a  dreadfully  improper  place  for  a  lady  to 
visit  alone." 

Thus  it  was  quite  out  of  the  question  that  I  should  go 
there  without  an  escort,  and  not  be  tabooed  by  those 
good  people  as  one  utterly  outside  of  the  pale  of  their 
society. 

Luckily,  at  this  time  Monsieur  M ,  an  attache  to  the 

French  consulate,  had  been  sent  by  Dr.  Campbell  to  Pak 
Laut  for  change  of  air,  and  Monsieur  L ,  the  com- 
mander of  the  king's  guard,  and  his  wife,  were  going  to 
see  him.  Being  acquainted  with  the  invalid,  I  obtained 
their  permission  to  make  one  of  the  party. 

Notwithstanding  the  perplexity  of  friends,  who  could 
not  imagine  my  motive  for  going  there,  and  who  made 
themselves  quite  merry  at  my  expense,  I  found  myself 
in  a  boat,  with  the  blue  letter  pinned  in  my  pocket,  my 

boy  at  my  side,  and  Monsieur  and  Madame  L opposite 

me,  at  five  o'clock  one  morning,  sailing  down  with  the 
tide  to  Pak  Laut. 


PAX    LAUT,   OR   THE   MOUTH    OF   TITE   OCEAN.          1G7 

When  I  arrived  there,  I  made  a  hasty  breakfast  with 
the  Bick  man  and  his  friends,  and  leaving  my  boy  at  play 
in  charge  <>i'  the  lady,  I  hurried  off  in  the  direction  of  the 
rnor'a  palace. 

P'Ikiyu  IvcL-an,  the  governor,  was  a  Peguan  prince  by 
birth,  ami  the  father  of  my  dear  friend,  whose  name, 
translated  into  English  is    "Hidden  Perfume." 

lb'  received  me  so  kindly  and  looked  so  benevolent 
that  I  fell  encouraged  to  tell  him  the  object  of  my  visit 
at  once. 

Taking  my  hand  in  his,  and  keeping  the  smile  of  ap- 
preciation on  his  honest  face,  he  led  me  through  several 
long  halls  and  corridors,  which  brought  us  at  length  to  a 
very  <iueer-looking  old  tower,  covered  with  moss  and 
bhnk  with  age,  with  narrow  loopholes  for  windows,  and 
surrounded  by  a  deep  moat  or  ditch  full  of  stagnant 
water. 

From  the  roof  of  this  extraordinary  building  descended 
two  nights  of  steps  built  in  the  wall,  and  leading  directly 
to  two  ruinous  old  drawbridges  that  spanned  the  moat. 
The  one  communicated  with  the  governor's  palace,  while 
the  other  led  to  a  low  arched  gateway  which  opened  im- 
mediately on  a  canal,  and  thus  had  access  to  the  river. 

What  the  moat  was  intended  for  I  could  in  no  wise 
imagine,  unless  it  were  especially  designed  to  connect 
the  tower,  independent  of  the  bridges,  with  the  river, 
and  thus,  in  cases  of  necessity,  afford  the  inmates  an  op- 
portunity of  immediate  flight  by  water.  There  were  two 
boats  on  the  moat,  ready  for  any  such  emergency. 

The  governor  left  me  standing  outside  of  the  low  wall 
that  skirted  the  moat,  crossed  one  of  the  crumbling  old 
bridges,  and  entered  the  tower  through  an  arched  door- 
way, solemn  and  ponderous  as  if  it  had  withstood  the 
storms  of  many  a  dreadful  siege. 

In  a  few  minutes  May-Peah,  the  Laotian  slave-girl,  came 


168  ROMANCE  OF  THE  HAREM. 

running  out,  crying,  "  0, 1  love  you  dearly !  I  love  you 
dearly  !  I  am  so  happy.  Come  in,  come  in  and  see  the 
prince ! "  So  saying,  she  pulled  me  after  her  into  that 
singular,  toppling-down-looking  old  edifice,  which  I 
must  confess  inspired  me  with  a  dread  that  I  could  not 
overcome,  nor  could  I  divest  myself  of  the  feeling  that  I 
was  under  the  influence  of  some  wild,  fantastic  dream. 

The  only  floor  of  the  old  tower  (for  there  was  but  one) 
consisted  of  three  rooms  ;  one  was  rather  large,  and  might 
have  been  in  its  best  days  of  a  vermilion  color,  but  was 
now  utterly  discolored  by  great  patches  made  by  rain- 
water, which  had  changed  it  to  a  dull,  yellowish,  muddy 
hue.  It  was  an  ancient  and  gloomy-looking  apartment, 
with  all  manner  of  rusty  and  antique  Indian  armor,  shields, 
banners,  spears,  swords,  bows  and  arrows,  and  lances 
ranged  along  the  wall,  which  seemed  to  have  been  wielded 
by  men  of  gigantic  stature,  and  pointed  to  an  epoch  be- 
yond the  memory  of  the  present  race.  Passing  through 
this  hall,  we  entered  another  and  smaller  room,  the  walls 
of  which  had  also  once  been  painted  with  gigantic 
flowers,  birds,  and  beasts,  among  which  the  figure  of  the 
crocodile  was  most  conspicuous.  It  contained  a  bed  of 
state  which  looked  like  Indian,  i.  e.  Bombay,  workmanship, 
lifting  to  the  ceiling  a  high,  solemn  canopy  of  that  pon- 
derous flowered  silk  called  kinkaub. 

I  cannot  depict  the  scene  :  how  the  glimmering  light 
within  and  the  changing  lights  without,  reflected  from  the 
dark  green  waters,  touched  upon  and  singled  out  for  a 
momentary  illumination  one  after  another  the  pictu- 
resque arms  and  the  gigantic  pictures  on  the  walls,  and 
diffused  an  air  of  mystery  over  the  whole. 

"  Welcome,  welcome,  brave  friend ! "  said  one  of  the 
three  dark  young  men  I  found  seated  within,  who  rose 
and  came  to  meet  me  with  a  singular  gesture  of  courtesy 
and  respect,  and  whom  I  at  once  recognized,  from  his 


A    LAOTIAN" 


I'AK    LAUT,   OR   THE   MOUTH    OF   THE   OCEAN.          1G9 

strong  likeness  to  the  Princess  Sunartha  Vismita,  to  be 
the  Prince  PTira  O'Dong  Karmatlia.  The  prince,  for  it 
was  he,  with  an  excitement  he  could  not  quite  control, 
inquired  If  I  had  seen  his  sister.  As  I  spoke,  May-Peah 
drew  near  and  listened  to  what  I  said,  with  intense  in- 
terest and  anxiety  expressed  in  her  fine  face.  But  when 
I  handed  the  prince  the  letter,  they  were  all  inexpressibly 
lighted  All  the  others  waited  anxiously,  turning  silent 
looks  of  sympathy  and  affection  on  him,  as  he  reaofit  first 
to  himself,  and  then  aloud  to  the  party. 

u  May-Peah  "  were  the  only  two  words  I  understood  of 
its  contents ;  but  I  saw  two  big  drops  like  thunder-rain 
faU  suddenly  from  the  eyes  of  Fhra  O'Dong  on  the 
blotted  yellow  paper,  and  his  voice  died  away  in  a  hoarse 
whisper  as  he  concluded  the  strange  epistle. 

After  which  the  party  were  silent,  saying  nothing  for 
nearly  a  whole  hour,  as  it  appeared  to  me,  and  absorbed 
each  wTith  his  own  thoughts. 

Then  Fhra  O'Dong  cast  an  upward  glance  as  if  in 
prayer,  and  May-Pe&h  crept  quietly  to  his  side  and  looked 
at  him  with  the  calm,  deep  determination  of  high  and  noble 
resolve  depicted  on  her  fine  face.  The  two  faces  presented 
the  strongest  contrast  possible,  —  the  one  dark,  troubled, 
impetuous,  and  weak  ;  the  other  resolute,  passionate,  un- 
changeable, and  brave.  I  wanted  no  further  proof  of  the 
nature  of  the  friendship  which  May-Peah  bore  to  the  young 
prince  and  his  sister.  There  are  times  when  one  almost 
knows  what  is  passing  in  the  mind  of  another.  Thus  it 
was  that  I  was  able  to  form  some  glimmering  conception 
of  the  elevated  character  of  the  slave-woman  before  me. 

It  was  time  for  me  to  go.  The  prince  begged  me  to 
take  something  from  him  by  way  of  compensation,  but  I 
declined,  thanking  him  all  the  same,  and  carrying  away 
with  me  only  loving  words  of  comfort  and  hope°to  his 
long-imprisoned  sister  and  her  companions. 


170  ROMANCE  OF  THE  HAREM. 

May-Peah  followed  me  out,  and  her  fine  face  —  for  the 
oftener  I  saw  it  the  finer  it  looked  —  was  never  more 
expressive  than  when  she  thanked  me,  and  bade  me 
tell  her  beloved  mistress  to  keep  a  stout  heart,  adding, 
in  a  whisper :  "  I  do  not  know  what  I  am  going  to  do, 
but  something  shall  be  done  to  save  her,  even  if  I  die 
for  it." 

It  was  in  vain  that"  I  urged  her  to  be  patient,  and  not 
to  do  anything  so  rash  as  to  attempt  the  rescue  of  the 
princess ;  nothing  that  I  could  say  would  move  her  from 
her  purpose. 

The  day,  though  it  commenced  brightly,  now  began  to 
be  overcast,  and  the  tide  was  turning  for  Bangkok,  so  I 
left  her.  As  we  parted,  she  was  standing  in  one  of  the 
long  corridors,  with  her  hands  folded  and  raised  high 
above  her  head,  and  a  flood  of  tender  emotions  brimming 
over  into  her  eyes. 


NARRATIVE   OF   THE   TRINCESS   OF  CIIIENGMAL       171 


CHAPTER    XXI. 

NARRATIVE   OF  THE  PRINCESS   OF  CHIENGMAI* 

MY  good  friend  Thieng  arranged  another  interview 
for  me  with  the  princess,  who  seemed  wonderfully 
improved  in  health  and  spirits,  and  who  related  to  me, 
almost  word  for  word,  the  following  narrative. 

"The  Prince  P'hra  O'Dong  Karmatha  and  I  are  the 
only  children  of  the  Prince  P'hra  Chow  Soorwang,  the 
brother  of  the  present  king  of  Chiengmai.  Chiengmai  is 
now  tributary  to  Siam.  But  there  was  a  time  when  my 
ancestors  were  the  independent  sovereigns  of  all  the  land 
lying  between  Pegu  and  Birmah  on  the  one  hand,  and 
Siam  and  the  mountains  of  Yunan  on  the  other. 

"  It  was  the  Prince  P'hra  Chow  O'Dong  Karmatha, 
after  whom  my  brother  was  named,  who  founded  the 
beautiful  city  of  Chiengmai,  and  built  those  stupendous 
works  which  brin£  water  to  its  inhabitants. 

"My  poor  mother  died  at  the  time  of  my  birth,  and 
May-Peah's  mother  brought  me  up  as  if  I  were  her  own 
child ;  and  thus  May-Peah  and  I  became  sisters  in  the  flesh, 
as  we  are  indeed  in  spirit. 

"  My  brother,  the  Prince  O'Dong,  is  just  seven  years  my 
elder.  He  was  fond  of  pleasure,  but  he  loved  glory  and 
honor  and  independence  still  more,  and  it  was  ever  a 
source  of  mortification  to  him  that  our  house  should  be 
obliged  to  pay  the  triennial  tribute  which  the  sovereign 
of  Siam  exacts  as  our  homage  of  fealty. 

"  It  was  on  one  of  these  occasions,  when  my  brother 
became  the  representative  of  our  uncle,  and  the  bearer  of 

*  Chiengmai  is  the  capital  of  Laos  country. 


172  ROMANCE  OF  THE  HAREM. 

the  gold  and  silver  trees  to  the  court  of  Siam,  that  he  met 
with  his  Eoyal  Highness  P'hra  Somdetch  Pawarendr 
Ramasr,  the  second  king  of  Siam.  Being  both  fond  of 
the  chase,  and  experienced  hunters,  they  formed  a  strong 
friendship  the  one  for  the  other. 

"  God  forbid  that  I  should  disparage  the  supreme  king 
of  Siam,  but  every  one  who  knows  them  will  admit  the 
superiority  of  the  younger  brother,"  said  the  lady,  proudly. 

"  Soon  after  this  the  second  king  came  on  a  visit  to  our 
home,  and  accompanied  my  brother  on  many  a  hunting 
expedition.  I  cannot  describe  to  you  my  first  meeting 
with  the  prince,  whose  praises  had  already  inflamed  my 
imagination.  If  I  could  coin  words  of  deeper  meaning, 
or  if  I  could  learn  from  the  angels  some  new  language 
wherein  fitly  to  clothe  the  higher  and  purer  joy  that  fell 
upon  me  in  his  presence,  I  might  reveal  to  you  something 
of  the  charm  and  the  spell  of  that  hour. 

"  When  he  at  length  returned  to  Sarapure,  I  was  as 
one  who  had  lost  the  key-note  of  her  existence. 

"  My  brother,  apprehending  the  cause  of  my  grief,  sent 
May-Peah,  unknown  to  me,  to  Sarapure,  to  serve  in  any 
capacity  whatever  in  the  palace  of  the  prince,  and  to  dis- 
cover, if  possible,  the  state  of  his  affections. 

"  May-Peah  and  her  mother  set  out  for  the  palace  of 
Ban  Sitha.  Having  arrived  there,  she  contrived  to  get 
admission  into  the  harem  of  the  prince,  in  order  to  visit 
some  of  her  friends.  While  there,  she  drew  out  of  her 
vest  a  silver  flute,  and  played  it  so  exquisitely  —  for  she 
is  the  best  musician  in  our  country,  and  can  perform  on 
ten  different  instruments  —  that  she  charmed  her  hearers, 
who  at  once  introduced  her  to  the  chief  lady  of  the 
1  harem,'  Khoon  Klieb,  who  purchased  her  from  her  mother, 
and  presented  her  to  the  prince,  her  master. 

"  She  was  then  invited  to  perform  before  the  prince ;  he 
too  was  delighted  with  her  wonderful  skill  and  power, 


NARRATIVE   OF   THE   PRINCESS   OF   CIIIENGMAI.        173 

and  being  at  the  time  in  ill  health  and  feeble  in  body,  he 
baldly  i  7er  left  his  palace,  and  retained  her  almost  al- 
ways by  his  side. 

•On  (.ih3  occasion,  seeing  that  she  had  soothed  and 
charmed  the  unhappy  and  suffering  prince  with  her 
melodies,  she  begged  permission  to  sing  him  a  song  of 
her  own  composition,  set  to  Ins  favorite  air  of  '  Sah 
Mfinee  Chaitee'  (The  Lament  of  the  Heart).*  The  prince 
smilingly  assented,  not  without,  as  he  afterwards  told  me, 
surprise  and  wonder  at  the  singular  hardihood  and  fear- 
lessnesfl  of  the  young  stranger.  'But/  to  use  his  own 
words,  'she  sang  her  wonderful  song  with  such  power, 
BUCh  a  sweet  mixture  of  the  fragrance  of  the  heart  with 
the  melody  of  touch,  that  the  memory  of  it  lingers  still 
with  me  as  a  dream  of  a  day  in  Suan  Swarg  (para- 
dise). Then  I  snatched  from  her  hand  the  lute,  and 
struck  on  it  in  wild  and  imperfect  utterances  the  burden 
of  my  love  for  thee,  dear  Sunartha  Vismita.' 

"  Just  three  months  from  the  time  of  May-Peah' s  de- 
parture, when  I  had  become  weary  and  disconsolate  be- 
cause of  her  unaccountable  absence,  she  returned  home, 
bearing  letters  and  presents  from  the  prince ;  and  a  month 
afterwards  I  set  out,  a  happy  bride,  for  the  beautiful  palace 
of  Ban  Sitlia. 

u  When  we  arrived  at  Sarapure,  my  brother  went  on 
before  to  announce  my  arrival  to  the  prince  —  "  Here 
she  ceased  suddenly,  and  gave  way  to  a  burst  of  passion- 
ate tears. 

Alter  a  little  while  she  resumed  her  story,  saying: 
*  And  bo  we  were  privately  married.  The  prince,  how- 
ever, had  long  been  foiling  in  health,  and  after  a  few 
short  months  of  unalloyed  happiness  he  again  fell  griev- 
ously sick,  and  exhorted  me  to  return  home  to  my  father, 

*  The  late  second  king  wm  passionately  fond  of  music,  and  was  him- 
self a  skilful  performer  on  several  of  the  Laos  instruments. 


174  ROMANCE  OF  THE  HAREM. 

lest  by  his  death  I  should  fall  into  the  power  of  his  elder 
brother.  But  I  refused  to  leave  him,  and  followed  him 
to  his  palace  at  Bangkok,  where  he  sickened  rapidly  and 
died.  His  last  words  to  me  were  :  '  Fare  thee  well,  Su- 
nartha  !  thy  presence  has  been  to  me  like  the  light  of  the 
setting  sun,  illumining  and  dispersing  the  dark  clouds 
which  have  hitherto  obscured  my  sad  life.  Fear  not ;  I  will 
keep  the  memory  of  thy  face  bright  and  unclouded  before 
my  fading  eyes,  as  I  pass  away  rejoicing  in  thy  love.' 

"  A  short  time  after  my  husband's  death  I  found  my- 
self a  prisoner  in  his  palace,  and  as  time  passed  on  I  was 
removed  to  this  palace,  where  a  residence  befitting  a 
queen  was  appointed  to  me,  and  where  I  first  had  the 
honor  of  receiving  and  entertaining  the  elder  brother  of 
my  husband,  the  great  king  Maha  Mongkut,  who,  ignor- 
ing my  deep  sorrow  and  deeper  love  for  my  late  husband, 
offered  me  his  royal  hand  in  marriage. 

"  Openly  and  proudly  I  rejected  the  cruel  offer,  for 
which  reason  I  am  here  again  a  prisoner,  and  perchance 
will  remain  forever." 

She  ceased  speaking,  and  the  Amazon  entered  to  say  it 
was  time  to  shut  the  prison  door.  With  her  lips  firmly 
pressed  together,  her  nostrils  quivering,  and  her  head  bowed 
in  her  strong  grief,  she  motioned  me  her  adieux.  I  saw 
her  once  or  twice  afterwards,  sitting  leisurely  among  the 
palace  gardens,  under  the  watchful  eyes  of  the  Amazo- 
nian guard,  as  self-absorbed,  but,  I  thought,  more  hope- 
ful than  she  used  to  be. 


"BIJREPUREE."   OR  TIIE  DIAMOND   CITY.  175 


CHAPTER    XXII. 

"BIJREPUREE,"   OR  THE  DIAMOND  CITY. 

MEANWHILE  his  Majesty  was  better,  and  it  was 
the  last  day  of  October.  So  the  court  and  I,  with 
my  boy,  and  all  the  most  favored  of  the  royal  family,  set 
out  for  our  annual  visit  to  Bijrepuree,  —  leaving  the  In- 
vincible' City  and  the  disconsolate  princess  with  her  pale- 
faced  companions  to  the  care  of  the  high  officials  Mai 
Ying  Thai. ban  within,  and  the  Kroma  Than  Song  Wang 
without 

Bijrepuree,  or  Petchabury,  as  it  is  commonly  called,  is 
the  third  city  in  size,  and  second  in  importance,  in  Siam, 
and  is  situated  nearly  one  hundred  and  fifty  miles  in  a 
south-westerly  direction  from  Bangkok,  on  a  river  of  the 
same  name,  which  waters  a  country  a  thousand-fold  more 
picturesque  and  beautiful  than  that  around  Bangkok-. 
As  you  ascend  the  river,  a  chain  of  mountains  varying 
from  seventeen  to  nineteen  hundred  feet  in  height  rises 
above  the  surrounding  country,  the  loftiest  of  which  is 
called  Khoa  L'huang,  or  Ptoyal  Mountain.  This  is  one  of 
his  Majesty's  most  favored  country  residences.  A  splen- 
did palace  has  been  built  on  its  summit,  on  which  five 
hundred  laborers  have  been  employed  daily  foi  ten  years, 
and  it  is  still  (1866)  unfinished  A  winding  path  which 
leads  up  to  it  has  been  admirably  contrived  amid  the 
volcanic  rod  nrhich  cover  the  surface  of  this  mountain 
district  I  climbed  to  no  such  favored  spot  during  my 
residence  in  Siam. 

On  the  hither  side  far  away  stretches  from  north  to 
south  a  chain  of  mountains  called  Khoa  Deng,  and  in- 


176  ROMANCE  OF  THE  HAREM. 

habited  by  many  rude  and  independent  tribes  of  the 
primitive  Kariengs.  Beyond  these  again  rises  another 
chain  of  lofty  hills,  the  outlines  of  which  appear  like 
misty  clouds  in  the  distant  horizon. 

On  the  slopes  and  in  the  valleys  are  immense  forests 
of  magnificent  trees,  hiding  in  their  dark  recesses  myriads 
of  unknown  plants  and  lesser  forests  of  ferns,  with  palm- 
trees,  rice-fields,  tobacco  and  sugar  plantations  looking 
intensely  dark  in  the  setting  sun,  and  dividing  the  lights 
and  shades  into  numberless  soft  radiating  shafts  which 
fall  in  a  red  haze  of  different  degrees  of  strength  on  the 
pellucid  river  that  flows  gently  through  them. 

Then  to  the  south  and  east  stretches  another  plain,  and 
beyond  this  lies  the  Gulf  of  Siam,  on  whose  waters,  fad- 
ing away  in  the  distant  horizon,  were  sometimes  sparkingly 
revealed  a  few  scattered  sail,  outward  and  homeward 
bound. 

On  the  peaks  of  several  mountains  adjoining  the  royal 
residence  rise  stately  temples  and  p'hra-cha-dees.  All 
over  these  mountains  the  workmen  are  still  toiling,  laying 
out  the  grounds  into  gardens  and  shrubberies.  In  the 
centre  of  many  of  them  may  be  seen  beautiful  stone 
vases  of  Egyptian  form,  cut  out  of  the  selfsame  rock, 
and  filled  with  gorgeous  flowers.  Attached  to  the  palace 
is  a  school-house  and  a  residence  for  the  teacher,  with 
a  private  chapel  for  the  ladies  ;  but  no  distinct  "  harem," 
or  woman's  city,  as  at  Bangkok.  Those  of  the  women 
who  accompany  the  king  on  his  annual  visits  have 
rooms  allotted  to  them  in  the  western  wing  of  the  palace, 
which  is  only  curtained  off  by  a  wall  and  guarded  by 
Amazons. 

We,  that  is  the  young  Prince  Somdetch  Chow  Fa, 
my  boy,  and  I,  made  the  most  of  our  visit  to  this  delight- 
ful region,  rambling  over  the  hills  and  forests,  gathering 
wild  flowers,  and  visiting   the   hot   springs,  caves,   and 


"BUBEPUKKE,"    OB   THE   DIAMOND   CITY.  177 

OTottos,  which  form  some  of  the  more  interesting  features 
of  the  aeighborhood  In  the  foreground,  near  the  school- 
house,  stood  a  clump  of  fernfl  full  of  pictures;  a  little 
farther  on  was  a  cave,  over  the  mouth  of  which  trailed 
huge  convolvuli ;  and  immediately  above  it  an  overhanging 
roci  variegated  with  natural  tints  and  colors,  the  effect 
oi'  which  was  most  wonderful 

Prom  this  spot  there  were  tempting  walks  through 
groves  of  dark  green  trees,  opening  upon  wide  terraces 
which  commanded  exquisite  views  of  the  country,  rich 
with  cultivation  or  dotted  with  houses  and  gardens,  or 
the  still  more  fertile  valleys,  winding  amongst  which 
might  be  traced  the  silvery  thread  of  the  Diamond  River. 

Not  far  from  the  Royal  Mountain  are  several  grottos, 
two  of  which  are  of  surprising  extent  and  great  beauty, 
an  exact  painting  of  which  would  be  looked  upon  with 
incredulity,  or  as  an  invention  of  fairy  land. 

"Whatever  may  have  been  the  origin  of  these  grottos, 
owing  to  the  moisture  continually  dropping  through  the 
damp  soil  of  the  rocks  they  have  been  clothed  with  the 
richest  and  most  harmonious  colors,  and  adorned  with 
magnificent  stalactites,  which  rise  in  innumerable  slender 
shafts  and  columns  to  support  the  roof  and  walls.  The 
setting  sun  reveals  a  gorgeous  mass  of  coloring,  ending  in 
dark  blue  and  purple  shadows  in  the  distant  chambers 
and  hollowa 

I  never  witnessed  such  wonderfully  illusive  transforma- 
tions as  the  sunlight  effected  wherever  it  penetrated  these 
subterranean  halls,  Xo  human  hands  have  as  yet  touched 
their  marvellous  walls  and  roofs  and  pillars.  All  that 
has  been  done  by  man  is  to  cut  a  staircase  in  the  rock,  to 
aid  the  descent  into  the  grottos,  and  enable  the  visitor 
to  see  them  in  all  their  regal  beauty. 

The  largest  grotto  has  been  converted  into  a  Buddhist 
temple;    all  along  the  richly  tinted  rock-walls  are  con- 
8*  l 


178  ROMANCE  OF  THE  HAREM. 

templative  images  of  the  Buddha,  and  in  the  centre,  just 
where  is  concentrated  the  richest  depth  of  coloring,  lying 
on  a  horizontal  bed  of  rock,  is  a  large  sleeping  idol  of  the 
same  inevitable  figure,  with  the  same  mysterious  expres- 
sion about  the  closed  eyelids,  as  if  he  were  in  the  habit, 
even  in  sleep,  of  penetrating  distant  worlds,  in  his  longing 
to  gaze  upon  the  Infinite. 

Lower  down  the  mountain  lies  a  calm  lake,  with  its 
smooth  silvery  surface  ever  and  anon  broken  by  the  leap- 
ing of  a  fish,  as  if  to  prove  that  it  is  water  and  not  glass, 
and  beyond  the  lake  are  more  mountains  rolling  up  into 
the  sky  in  purple  and  green  folds,  with  the  faintest  of 
blue  borders  and  crimson-tipped  edges,  for  they  are  many 
miles  off. 

It  was  evening,  and  we  had  just  spent  a  delicious  fort- 
night here,  teaching  in  the  mornings  and  rambling  in  the 
evenings,  and  his  Majesty  had  assured  me,  to  my  great 
delight,  that  we  should  stay  yet  another  while  among  the 
mountains  ;  my  boy  and  I  had  retired  to  our  little  rocky 
nest,  around  which  there  was  an  impression  of  savage 
grandeur  and  of  loneliness  almost  overpowering,  and 
where  I  used  to  imagine  the  "  Hill  Giants,"  of  whom  I 
had  heard  so  much,  lurking  in  secret  in  the  caves  and 
hollows,  as  ready  to  tear  the  Eoyal  Mountain  from  its  base 
and  cast  it  into  the  gulf  beyond,  for  the  pitiless  way  in 
which  the  monarch  doomed  those  poor  five  hundred  slaves 
to  toil  on  and  on,  without  any  prospect  of  ever  coming  to 
an  end,  in  smoothing  and  shaping  its  rugged  sides.  And 
it  was  here  that  I  first  realized  and  appreciated  the  belief 
of  the  simple  people  about  me  in  ghosts  and  spirits, 
pleasant  and  unpleasant :  — 

"Genii  in  the  air, 
And  spirits  in  the  evening  breeze, 
And  gentle  ghosts  with  eyes  as  fair 
As  starbeams  through  the  twilight  trees." 


" BUBEPUBEE,"    OR   THE  DIAMOND   CITY.  17'.) 

But  in  spite  of  them  all  we  were  sleeping  soundly  that 
night  in  the  third  story  of  our  little  eyry,  when,  about 
three  o'clock  in  the  morning,  the  sound  of  tocsins,  gongs, 
and  trumpets  was  flung  out  all  over  the  distant  hills  and 
mountains,  and  re-echoed  tauntingly,  like  the  cry  of  so 
many  demons  lull  of  mad  sport,  in  the  multitudinous 
voices  of  tlif  rocky  solitudes.  We  were  suddenly  trans- 
ported from  deep  sleep  to  wide-awake  realities,  to  find  tin' 
royal  palace  all  alive  with  lights  and  sedans  and  horse- 
man, and  torch-bearing,  shadowy  phantoms,  issuing  from 
dark  portals,  gliding  hither  and  thither  among  the  rocks, 
and  coming  towards  us. 

What  did  it  all  mean  ? 

The  whole  thing  looked  so  mysterious  that  I  at  first 
thought  the  king  was  dead,  or  that  the  palace  was  be- 
seiged,  or  that  the  "  favorite,"  Peam,  taking  advantage  of 
the  mountain  fastnesses,  had  run  away. 

The  torchlight  phantoms  proved  to  be  veritable  brawny 
Amazons,  who  came  to  inform  us  that  the  court  would 
return  to  Bangkok  within  an  hour.  "  What !  not  stay 
another  fortnight  ?  "  I  inquired,  sadly. 

"  No,  not  another  hour.  Get  ready  to  follow,'*  was  the 
peremptory  order.  And  so,  on  the  third  day  succeed- 
ing, we  were  all  settled  down  in  our  respective  places  at 
Bangkok 


180  ROMANCE  OF  THE  HAREM. 


CHAPTEE    XXIII. 

THE  DEAF  AND   DUMB   CHANGELING. 

IN",  the  next  morning's  cheerful  daylight  I  set  out  to  re- 
sume once  more  my  school  routine  within  the  sombre 
walls  of  the  "  invincible  "  city.  But,  as  we  proceeded  on  our 
way,  we  were  surprised  to  see  knots  and  clusters  of  people 
reading  with  absorbing  interest  huge  placards  written  in 
Siamese,  Pali,  Cambodian,  Birmese,  Peguan,  and  every 
other  language  spoken  by  the  many  distinct  peoples  who 
inhabit  the  mountains  and  valleys  watered  by  the  great 
river  Meinam,  and  posted  all  along  the  imperial  walls. 

Here  was  another  mystery. 

I  could  read  printed  Siamese  and  Pali  tolerably  well. 
But  the  written  characters,  wherein  every  scholar  in- 
vents an  orthography  of  his  own,  baffled  all  my  lin- 
guistic efforts,  and  not  a  glimmering  of  light  could  the 
numberless  questions  I  put  to  many  of  the  curious 
readers  procure  for  me  ;  they  were  as  afraid  to  speak  of 
royalty  as  of  the  devil,  lest  he  should  appear.  So  I  went 
on  to  school  to  find  the  same  mysterious  announcements, 
which  had  sprung  up  like  mushrooms  during  the  night, 
running  zigzag  over  all  the  walls,  and  playing  hide  and 
seek  along  the  dark,  narrow  lanes  and  streets,  only  to 
elude  my  strictest  inquiries. 

■iNow,  to  tell  the  truth,  as  I  was  treasonably  disposed 
against  slavery  and  polygamy  and  several  other  gross 
abuses  that  grew  out  of  them,  and  had  stoutly  set  my  face 
against  them  from  the  very  first  day  of  my  installation 
as  teacher  in  the  palace,  I  began  to  fear  that  these 
placards  might  concern  me  and  my  teachings ;  so  when 


THE   DEAF   AND   DUMB   CHANGELING.  181 

school  closed  I  went  to  see  my  friend,  Lady  Thieng.  But 
she  was  even  more  mysterious  than  the  unintelligible 
hieroglyphics  on  the  walls,  looking  at  me  curiously,  and 
shaking  her  head  in  a  solemn  manner,  and  feeling  me  all 
over  in  a  pathetic  way,  so  as  to  reassure  herself  that  I 
was  Dot  a  spirit,  but  made  of  flesh  and  bones  like  herself, 
and  could  not  have  been,  as  she  had  begun  secretly  to 
Buspect,  at  Bijrepuree  and  at  Bangkok  at  the  same  time. 

She  then  gravely  asked  me  if  I  had  ever  practised 
sorcery  or  witchcraft  My  lips  trembled  with  irrepres- 
sible laughtei  as  I  assured  her  I  had  not  as  yet  enjoyed 
the  good  fortune  of  knowing  a  real  witch;  but  that 
nothing  in  the  world  would  please  me  better  than  to  be 
introduced  to  one  who  would  give  me  lessons  in  that  art. 
She  admonished  me  sternly  for  my  levity,  and  went  on  to 
say  that  there  had  really  been  a  very  powerful  sor- 
ceress in  the  palace  during  the  king's  absence  at  Bijre- 
puree,  who  had,  unseen  by  human  eye,  conjured  away  the 
beautiful  and  disconsolate  princess,  and  left  in  her  place 
a  rustic  deaf  and  dumb  slave-girl. 

Amazed  and  altogether  taken  by  surprise,  I  looked  into 
my  friend's  face  in  unspeakable  sorrow.  My  heart  whis- 
pered to  me  the  last  words  of  May-Peah,  "  I  do  not  know 
what  I  am  going  to  do,  but  something  shall  be  done  to 
save  her,  even  if  I  die  for  it."  I  could  not  bring  myself 
to  ask  another  question,  I  was  so  afraid  of  confirming  my 
fears,  I  had  learned  to  love  that  slave-woman 
better  than  her  mistress,  and  would  have  braved  a  thousand 
perils  it'  I  had  thought  I  could  save  her  through  them. 

"I  wish,"  cried  Thieng,  at  last,  in  a  sudden  burst,  as  if 
her  thoughts  had  been  going  on  in  this  strain  and  only 
broke  from  her  when  she  could  restrain  herself  no  longer, 
—  "I  wish  that  this  deaf  and  dumb  slave-girl  could  be 
exorcised  and  made  to  speak,  and  then  we  would  know 
how  it  happened,  and  how  the  old  witch  looked. 


182  ROMANCE  OF  THE  HAREM. 

"  0  dear !  0  dear !  I  am  afraid  for  my  life  and  the 
lives  of  my  poor  children ;  and  even  the  very  stones  out  of 
which  this  dismal  city  is  built  inspire  me  with  dread  and 
horror,"  said  poor  Thieng,  ruefully;  "  and  do  you  know  ?  " 
she  added,  —  her  eyes  growing  rounder  and  rounder  every 
moment,  as  the  awfulness  of  the  situation  presented  itself 
to  her  mind,  —  "  his  Majesty  has  shut  himself  up  in  his 
topmost  chamber,  and  guards  are  set  at  all  the  doors  and 
windows,  lest  any  suspicious-looking  person  should  enter, 
and  no  one  but  only  the  old  lady-physician,  Khoon  Maw 
Prang,  is  allowed  to  see  him  to  serve  his  meals,  and  he 
won't  come  down  till  the  palace  and  whole  city  has  been 
exorcised.  And  there  will  be  no  school  to-morrow,'  she 
continued,  growing  more  and  more  communicative,  "  for  he 
has  ordered  all  the  royal  children  to  be  shut  up  in  their 
homes  until  noon,  when  the  old  devil  shall  have  been 
driven  out  by  the  priests  of  Brahma ;  and  the  priests  of 
Buddha  will  then  purify  the  city  with  burning  incense 
and  sprinkling  the  houses,  walls,  and  all  its  inhabitants 
with  holy  water." 

Up  to  the  last  moment  a  natural  cause  for  the  disap- 
pearance of  the  Princess  Sunartha  Vismita  never  even 
presented  itself  to  the  mind  of  my  simple-hearted  friend, 
and  I  was  not  a  little  comforted,  for  the  sake  of  the 
strange  Laotian  woman,  to  find  that  it  was  thought  so  ab- 
solutely the  work  of  some  supernatural  agent.  For 
Thieng  also  told  me  that  the  court  astrologers  and  wiz- 
ards were  trying  to  unravel  the  mystery ;  that  large  re- 
wards had  been  promised  to  them  if  they  could  throw 
any  light  on  the  subject ;  and,  lastly,  that  the  two  Laotian 
captives,  with  the  deaf  and  dumb  changeling,  were  to  be 
exorcised  and  examined  in  the  ecclesiastical  court  on  the 
following  day  by  the  "  wise "  men  and  women  in  the 
country. 

After  which  the  poor  unhappy  lady  laid  her  head  down 


THE  DEAF  AND  DUMB  CHANGELING.       183 

upon  her  pillow,  utterly  grieved  and  terrified  by  her  fears. 
I  tried  in  vain  to  comfort  her.  But  what  between  her 
diead  of  the  supernatural  and  her  misgivings  that  to- 
mozrow  the  chances  were  that  certain  accusations  against 
herself  and  me,  as  secret  agents  of  some  devilish  sor- 
3,  might  l»e  brought  forward  with  unanswerable  logic, 
she  was  quite  inconsolable  and  greatly  to  be  pitied. 

I  believe  she  would  have  been  content  to  give  her  life, 
ere  'lay  broke,  only  to  catch  a  glimpse  of  the  poor  unfor- 
tunate princess  whom  the  demon  had  thus  maliciously 
kidnapped  and  carried  off. 

The  only  thing  I  could  say,  that  seemed  in  the  slightest 
degree  to  soothe  her,  was  that  I  would  endeavor  to  be 
present  at  the  ecclesiastical  court  at  the  time  appointed 
for  the  exorcism,  and  obtain  such  intelligence  of  its  pro- 
ceedings, and  the  facts  elicited  during  the  trial,  as  my 
imperfect  knowledge  of  the  technical  language  and  for- 
malities of  the  Siamese  courts  would  enable  me  to  gather 
for  her. 


184  ROMANCE  OF  THE  HAREM. 


CHAPTEE   XXIV. 

WITCHCRAFT  IN  SIAM  IN  EIGHTEEN  HUNDRED  AND  SIXTY- 
SIX,  COMPARED  WITH  WITCHCRAFT  IN  ENGLAND  IN 
SEVENTEEN   HUNDRED   AND    SIXTEEN. 

IT  might  be  difficult,  at  the  present  time,  anywhere  in 
any  enlightened  Christian  community,  to  find  persons 
of  the  most  ordinary  intelligence  who  entertain  the 
smallest  faith  in  witchcraft. 

But  yet  there  are  thousands  upon  thousands  who  im- 
plicitly believe  in  spirit-rapping  and  in  table-turning,  in 
mesmerism  and  animal  magnetism,  and  in  Mr.  Joseph 
Smith  and  Brigham  Young,  his  successor,  who  exhibits 
such  extraordinary  powers  in  prophecy  and  sensualism 
at  Utah ;  and  in  fact  it  would  seem  that  the  doctrine 
of  "  Credo  quia  impossibile  "  never  had  more  earnest  dis- 
ciples than  it  now  numbers. 

Yet  we  all  alike,  with  one  accord,  profess  our  utter  dis- 
belief in  witchcraft. 

This  scepticism  on  our  part,  however,  is  of  very  modern 
date ;  for  even  in  the  early  part  of  this  century  the  belief 
was  not  quite  eradicated  in  England,  and  we  have  only 
to  step  back  a  century  more  to  find  it  acknowledged 
without  shame  by  a  civilized  and  highly  enlightened 
people,  and  at  a  time,  too,  when  the  literary  intellect  of 
England  shone  as  brightly  as  ever  in  her  history ;  when 
the  memory  of  Dryden  was  still  fresh  in  the  minds  of 
many  of  his  most  cherished  friends  and  admirers ;  when 
Pope  had  risen,  and  Addison  was  painting  his  genial 
portrait  of  Sir  Eoger  de  Coverly ;  when  the  bewitching 
"  nightingale  at  Twickenham  "  poured  forth  his  sweetest 


AN   AMAZON   OP   THE    ROYAL    li')I)Y  GUARD. 


WITCHCRAFT  IN   SIAM.  185 

BODgS,  and  kind-hearted  Steele  and  Swift,  stern,  incor- 
rigible, and  lonely,  domineered  over  the  proudest  of  Eng- 
lish  peers  and  statesmen.     Nothing   can  ever  be   more 
touching  than  the  sad  record  of  those  dark  days  when 
the   fair  Eleanor  Cobham,  the  wife  of  a  duke,  and  the 
annt  of  a  king  of  "  Great  Britain,"  did  penance  for  her 
"witchcraft,"  and  walked  "hoodless  save  her  'kerchief" 
through  all   the   crowded   streets   of  London  and  West- 
minster, taunted  and  hooted  at  by  a  ragged  crowd,  to  offer 
a  "consecrated  taper"  at  the  high  altar  of  St.  Paul's, 
and  thence  to  her  cruel,  life-long  imprisonment  at  Ken- 
ilworth,    while   her   wretched    accomplice,    Bolingbroke, 
expiated  his  crime  on  a  gibbet  at  Tyburn.     And  there 
are  those  seemingly  darker  days  when  Archbishop  Cran- 
mer,  a    high-priest    of   the    tender    Jesus,    directed   his 
clergy  at  large  to  make  "strict  inquiry  into  all  witch- 
craft and  such  like  craft  invented  by  the  devil";   and 
when   that   very  honorable   personage,   the   Lord    Chief 
Justice  Coke,  uttered  these  memorable  words :  "  It  would 
be  a  great  defect  in  government  if  so  great  an  abomina- 
tion  had  passed   with   impunity."      Then   no   one  cast 
even  the  shadow  of  a  doubt  on  the  existence  of  witch- 
craft, or  even  questioned  the  extraordinary  powers  which 
were  at  the  time  imputed  to  a  witch.     And  one  becomes 
sensible  of  the  dark  superstitions  that  must  have  per- 
vaded  even  the  general  atmosphere  of  the  immortal  poet 
Shakespeare,  when  he  makes  Ford  lay  his  cudgel  across 
the  shoulders  of  Falstaflf,  supposing  him  to  be  the  "  wise 
woman  of   Brentford,"   and  embodies  the  grander  and 
more  terrible  idea  of  witchcraft  as  no  man  has  ever  done 
before  or  aft  ir  him  in  the  tragedy  of  "  Macbeth" 

Almost  every  page  of  ecclesiastical  history  of  ancient 
times  is  full  of  monstrous  relations  of  the  powers  of  the 
devil,  or  of  those  who  had  entered  into  copartnership 
with  him ;  and,  emerging  thence  into  the  light  of  more 


186  ROMANCE  OF  THE  HAREM. 

recent  times,  we  shall  find  the  same  superstition  in  such 
men  as  Matthew  Hopkins,  the  "witch-finder" ;  in  Matthew 
Hale,  presiding  at  the  trial  of  the  Bury  St.  Edmunds 
witches  ;  and  in  Sir  Thomas  Browne,  author  of  the  "  Beli- 
gio  Medici,"  and  of  the  "  Inquiry  into  Vulgar  Errors,"  giv- 
ing the  evidence  on  which  so  many  wretched  old  and  young 
women  were  sent  to  the  gallows.  But,  alas  !  what  shall 
we  say  when  we  hear  such  holy  men  as  Baxter  and  Wesley 
asserting  that  the  belief  in  witchcraft  was  essentially 
connected  with  Christianity,  and  one  of  its  most  im- 
portant points ;  and,  down  almost  to  our  own  day,  find 
Johnson  half  doubting  and  half  believing  in  the  exist- 
ence of  witches  and  in  their  supernatural  powers  ? 

It  was  not  until  the  close  of  1763  that  the  statute 
which  made  witchcraft  a  felony  punishable  by  death  was 
repealed ;  and  so  lately  as  1716  the  curious  reader  will 
find  in  Gough's  Brit,  Vol.  I.,  p.  439,  an  account  of  a  sub- 
stantial English  farmer,  named  Hicks,  who  publicly  ac- 
cused his  wife  and  child  —  a  girl  of  only  nine  years  of 
age  —  of  witchcraft ;  and,  what  seems  more  incredible 
still,  that  they  were  actually  tried  at  the  assizes  at  Hunt- 
ingdon before  a  learned  judge,  and  visited  by  pious  and 
God-fearing  "  divines "  to  whom  the  poor  victims  con- 
fessed the  belief  —  which  was  forced  into  their  own  con- 
victions by  the  strong  current  of  public  opinion,  and  still 
more  by  the  unnatural  conduct  of  a  father  and  a  husband 
—  "  that  they  were  witches  "  ;  for  which  the  unhappy 
wife  and  tender  child  were  hanged  at  Huntingdon,  on  the 
28th  of  July,  1716. 

Can  any  page  in  the  history  of  Siam  be  more  appalling 
than  this  ?  Let  the  reader  turn  from  England  in  her 
light  and  glory,  her  civilization,  refinement,  and  power, 
from  her  altars  raised  to  the  true  God,  and  centuries  after 
her  baptism  in  the  matchless  name  of  Christ,  to  be- 
nighted Siam  still  bound  in  the  iron  fetters  of  paganism, 


WITCHCRAFT   IN   SIAM.  187 

idolatry,  and  slavery,  and  ho  will  find  there  in  many  re- 
Bpecta  just  such  a  picture  as  England  presented  in  the 
Beventeenth  and  eighteenth  centuries. 

Nothing  ran  be  more  appalling  than  the  incurable 
superstition  of  the  Eastern  mind,  and  even  while  their 
belief  in  the  supernatural  inspires  them  with  perpetual 
honor,  they  cannot  be  brought  to  give  it  up.  In  fact,  it 
seems  a  part  of  their  nature  to  cherish  in  their  secret 
hearts  the  belief  that  there  are  spirits,  good.  and.  bad,  who 
walk  the  earth  unseen,  and.  delight  either  to  bless  or  to 
cheat  and  abase  mankind;  and  that  there  are  witches 
and  wizards  in  the  country  who  have  the  power  of  tam- 
ing men  into  any  shape  they  choose. 

Rational  and  reasonable  on  all  other  points  as  the 
Siamese  are,  the  moment  you  try  to  appr6ach  them 
through  their  religious  senses  they  appear  like  a  wrorld 
coming  suddenly  under  an  eclipse  of  the  sun;  slowly 
and  surely  the  disk  of  their  mind  is  darkened,  and  the 
gloom  and  perplexity  increase,  till  it  becomes  completely 
obscured. 


188  ROMANCE  OF  THE  HAREM. 


N 


CHAPTEE  XXV. 

TRIAL    FOR  WITCHCRAFT. 

0  one  who  has  had  the  good  or  bad  fortune  to  alight 
in  the  northeastern  portion  of  the  city  of  Bangkok 
can  ever  forget  the  temples  and  monasteries  of  Brah- 
manee  Wade.  They  are  situated  by  themselves,  at  the 
northeastern  extremity  of  the  city  walls,  where  not  a 
modern  building  is  to  be  seen,  for  even  the  few  houses 
which  were  erected  as  lately  as  yesterday  have  been 
fashioned  after  the  ancient  model  prescribed  by  the  Hin- 
doo architect ;  and  in  no  part  of  the  world  is  there  seen 
so  perfect  an  historical  picture  of  the  ancient  Brahminical 
architecture  as  in  this  part  of  the  city  of  Bangkok.  The 
varied  gables,  the  quaint  little  windows,  the  fantastic 
towers  and  narrow  doorways,  with  the  endless  effects  of 
color,  make  this  spot  a  perpetual  delight  to  the  curious 
traveller ;  and  the  Brahmins  who  occupy  this  part  of  the 
city,  allotted  to  them  from  time  immemorial  by  the  kings 
of  Siam,  still  preserve  the  ancient  costume  of  their  fore- 
fathers, which  makes  the  picture  complete. 

On  the  morning  of  the  20th  of  November,  1866,  three 
women,  half  stupefied  by  the  foul  air  of  the  damp  cells  in 
which  they  had  been  immured,  were  conducted  through 
the  silent,  sleeping  streets  of  the  palace  and  city  to  a 
small  room  or  "  black  hole  "  adjoining  the  great  court- 
hall  of  the  temple  of  Brahmanee  Wade,  and  locked  up 
therein,  while  the  file  of  Amazons  and  the  troop  of 
soldiers  in  charge  took  their  places  around  it. 

While  the  Invincible  City  was  being  disenchanted  by 
one  set  of  Brahmins  to  be  purified  by  another  set  of 


TRIAL   FOR   WITCHCRAFT.  180 

Buddhist  priests,  I  set  off  on  horseback,  attended  only  by 
my  Hindostanee  syce,  or  groom,  to  the  scene  of  the  trial 
November  here  is  tin-  pleasantest  month  in  the  year; 
and  tin-  morning  sun  shone  brightly,  but  not  too  warmly; 
as  we  approached  the  walls  of  the  temples  and  inonas- 
i  of  Brahmanee  Wade,  —  so  wild,  so  isolated,  so  set  in 
cent rast  by  oddness  of  architectural  effects  to  the  general 
order  and  appearance  of  the  rest  of  the  town,  as  to  seem, 
indeed,  to  belong  to  another  age  and  another  world.  The 
dark  walls  and  huge  trees  were  covered  with  parasitic 
plants.  A  deep,  narrow  valley,  through  which  a  tiny 
streamlet  runs,  over  a  stony  bed,  betwixt  sloping  sides 
of  grass  and  furze-dad  steeps,  is  crossed  by  a  stone  bridge, 
black  with  time,  which  leads  to  the  portals  of  Brahmin- 
ism.  The  little  mad  stream  roared  and  fled  darkly  on,  as 
it  will  perhaps  forever. 

There  was  a  dreadful  loneliness  about  the  place,  and  a 
sort  of  darkness,  too,,  whether  in  my  mind  or  in  the  place 
I  cannot  say,  but  it  spoke  of  all  kinds  of  magic  and 
witchcraft,  and  even  of  devilcraft. 

^  Deep  in  the  glen,  sloping  down  to  the  stream,  amid 
picturesque  and  romantic  surroundings,  stood  the  old 
temple  of  Kalee  Durga;  and  running  along,  like  a  huge, 
jagged  shadow,  dark  even  in  the  brightest  sunlight,  rose 
the  roofs  of  the  monastic  dwellings  of  the  Brahmin  as- 
s,  from  which  the  place  is  named. 
I  alighted,  and  told  my  syce  to  wait  outside  for  me; 
but  lie.  being  a  pious  Hindoo,  bestrode  the  pony  and  rode 
,,,}-  l"  return  in  a  quarter  of  an  hour  with  oil  and  fresh 
flowers  and  sweetmeats  enough  to  propitiate  a  great 
many  dark  goddesses. 

There  was  aol  a  soul  to  be  seen  anywhere,  whether  of 
Rrahmanic  or  Buddhistic  faith  So  I  followed  my  syce 
into  the  temple,  and  while  he  prostrated  himself  at  full 
length  before  each  one  of  his  gods,  I  took  out  my  note- 


190  ROMANCE  OF  THE  HAREM. 

book  and  occupied  myself  in  making  sketches  and  memo- 
randa of  the  strange  scene  before  me. 

Vishnu,  Siva,  Krishna,  and  the  goddess  Kalee,  were 
the  chief  deities  of  the  place,  and  figured  as  the  heroes 
and  heroines  among  the  numerous  grotesque  and  mon- 
strous myths  sculptured  on  the  walls. 

Here  was  Vishnu  lying  comfortably  on  the  thousand- 
headed  snake  Shesha,  or  sporting  as  a  fish,  or  crawling 
as  a  tortoise,  or  showing  his  fangs  as  a  wild  boar,  or  shak- 
ing his  head  in  his  last  and  fifth  avatar  as  a  dwarf,  all 
admirably  executed.  Here  too  was  Krishna,  like  another 
Apollo,  whipped  out  of  heaven  for  playing  tricks  on  the 
lovely  shepherdesses  of  Muttra,  whose  tender  hearts  he 
stole  away,  and  whose  butter  he  found  so  tempting  that 
he  perpetually  ran  off  with  it  in  secret,  and  whose  jars 
of  milk  it  was  this  madcap's  pleasure  roguishly  to  upset. 
In  another  compartment,  crumbling  with  age,  he  is  seen 
again  in  his  last  mad  prank,  perched  on  a  stony  tree  with 
the  milkmaids'  stony  habiliments  under  his  arm,  and  an 
unmistakable  grin  on  his  stony,  greasy  *  face,  while  the 
owners  of  the  dresses  are  standing  below  in  various  atti- 
tudes of  bashfulness  imploring  their  restoration.  Be- 
fore them  in  different  places  stands  the  Lingam.  Here 
was  also  a  beautiful  sculpture  of  Siva  and  his  wife  Par- 
vati,  with  the  sacred  bull  Nandi  lying  at  their  feet,  and 
Kalee  in  combat  with  the  monster  Mahashasura;  and 
close  by  again  she  is  seen  caressing  a  Nylghau,-)*  that  is 
looking  up  to  her. 

The  figures  of  the  goddesses  are  wonderfully  spirited, 
and  of  exquisite  symmetry,  conveying  the  idea  of  per- 
fect and  beautiful  womanhood.  And  yet  Kalee  is  repre- 
sented  elsewhere   in  the   same  temple  as  a  black  and 

*  The  Hindoos  besmear  these  sculptures  with  oil  on  festive  occasions. 
+  A  large  short-homed  antelope  found  in  Northern  India.     The  males 
are  of  a  beautiful  slaty  blue,  and  the  females  of  a  rusty  red.  „ 


TRIAL   FOR   WITCHCRAFT.  191 

tenable  being,  covered  with  symbols  of  the  most  ferocious 
cruelty. 

Saving  finished  my  notes,  I  passed  out  by  another 

entrance,  and  tried  to  quiet  my  fears  for  May-Peah  by 
continuing  my  rambles  and  explorations  until  breakfast- 
time.  Instead  of  returning  home  for  that  meal,  I  de- 
spa  til  in  1  the  syce  to  buy  from  the  small  Hindoo  vil- 
close  by  an  earthen  lota  of .  milk  and  a  flat  cake  of 
Bajree  bread,  of  which  I  made  a  pleasant  repast,  sitting 
under  the  deep  shadows  of  the  temples  and  trees  dedi- 
cated to  Brahma,  of  whom  there  is  rarely,  if  ever,  any 
representation. 

Very  soon  I  was  repaid  for  my  patient  waiting,  for  I 
heard  the  sound  of  drums  beating  and  martial  music 
playing ;  and,  rushing  to  the  side  whence  it  proceeded,  the 
queerest  and  most  weird-looking  procession  met  my 
astonished  eyes,  —  old  women  dressed  in  scarlet  and  yel- 
low, and  old  grayheaded  men  in  every  variety  of  costume, 
combining  all  the  known  and  unknown  fashions  of  the 
past,  some  on  foot  and  others  on  horseback,  with  embroi- 
dered flags  of  the  same  multiplicity  of  colors  flying  before 
the  wind ;  and  in  the  centre  of  all,  clad  in  black  and  crim- 
son vestments,  riding  on  white  mules,  a  band  of  about 
twenty  men  and  women,  some  quite  young  and  others 
extremely  old,  advancing  with  slow  and  solemn  steps. 
These  were  the  royal  astrologers,  wizards,  and  witches 
who,  incredible  as  it  may  seem,  are  supported  by  the 
supreme  king  of  Siam,  and  receive  from  the  crown  large 
and  handsome  salaries.  I  observed  that  the  whole  pro- 
cession was  composed  of  persons  of  the  Hindoo  religion. 

In  the  rear  came  some  Chinese  coolies  hired  for  the 
occasion,  carrying  two  boxes  and  two  long  planks,  which 
excited  my  curiosity.  As  they  drew  near  they  were 
joined  by  large  numbers  of  well-dressed  Siamese  and  a 
host  of  ragged  slaves,  which  completed  the  motley  scene. 


192      x     ROMANCE  OF  THE  HAREM. 

I  stepped  out  of  the  solemn  shade  of  the  boh  and 
peepul  trees,  and  took  my  seat  on  a  broken  stone  pillar, 
still  under  shelter,  and  commanding  a  view  of  the  grand 
hall.  The  roof,  which  was  fast  crumbling  away,  was  an 
inferior  imitation  of  that  of  the  wondrous  temple  of  Maha 
Nagkhon  Watt,  and  had  scarcely  been  touched  for  cen- 
turies, for  there  still  figured  the  inevitable  Siva  and  Kalee, 
and  all  the  rest  of  the  Hindoo  gods  and  goddesses,  dis- 
mantled and  broken,  but  still  in  sufficient  preservation  to 
show  the  wild  grotesqueness  of  the  Hindoo  imagination, 
which  seems  to  have  grown  riotous  in  the  effort  to  embody 
all  its  imperfect  conceptions  of  the  Divinity. 

When  this  strange  and  solemn  procession  entered 
the  portal  of  Brahmanee  Wade  they  suddenly  halted, 
threw  up  their  arms  and  folded  their  hands  above  their 
heads,  and  repeated  one  of  the  most  magnificent  utterances 
of  Krishna :  "  0  thou  who  art  the  life  in  all  things,  the 
eternal  seed  of  nature,  the  understanding  of  the  wise  and 
the  weakness  of  the  foolish,  the  glory  of  the  proud  and 
the  strength  of  the  strong,  the  sacrifice  and  the  worship, 
the  incense  and  the  fire,  the  victim  and  the  slayer,  the 
father  and  the  mother  of  the  world,  gird  thy  servants  with 
power  and  wisdom  to-day  to  slay  the  slayer  and  to  van- 
quish the  deceiver,"  *  etc.  After  which  they  marched  to 
the  sound  of  music  into  the  temple,  and  offered  sacrifices 
of  wine  and  oil,  and  wheaten  cakes  and  fresh  flowers,  and 
with  their  eyes  lifted  to  the  dark  vaulted  roof  they  again 
prayed,  calling  upon  Brahma  the  father,  the  comforter, 
the  creator,  the  tender  mother,  the  holy  way,  the  wit- 
ness, the  asylum,  the  friend  of  man,  to  illumine  with  the 
light  of  his  understanding  their  feeble  intellects  to  discern 
the  devil  and  to  vanquish  him. 

At  length  the  astrologers,  wizards,  and  witches   took 

*  A  prayer  from  the  "  Hindoo  Liturgy,"  embodying  some  of  the  re- 
markable formulas  of  the  Brahrninical  worship. 


TRIAL    roil   WITCHCRAFT.  193 

their  places  in  the  liall,  with  eager  crowds  all  round  them, 
Standing  in  rows  on  all  the  steps  of  the  building.  Then 
came  two  officers  from  the  king  with  a  royal  letter, — 
one  was  the  chief  judge  of  the  Supreme  Court,  and  the 
other  bis  secretary  to  report  the  trial.  After  this  lordly 
personage  had  taken  his  seat,  the  prisoners  —  the  two 
handmaids  of  the  princess  and  my  friend  May-Peah, 
who,  as  I  feared,  was  the  deaf  and  dumb  "  changeling  "  — 
brought  in.  She  was  deadly  pale,  and  there  was  a 
wild  light  as  of  madness  or  intense  suffering  in  her  eyes. 
They  were  placed  at  the  end  of  the  hall,  strongly  guarded 
by  as  many  as  fifty  Amazons,  while  the  soldiers  scattered 
themselves  all  round  about  the  building.  Not  a  word 
was  spoken,  and  the  strange  assembly  looked  into  one 
another's  faces,  as  if  each  knew  his  neighbor's  thoughts. 
I  trembled  for  the  unhappy  prisoners ;  and  the  crowd,  who 
seemed  to  look  upon  poor  May-Peah  as  a  veritable  witch, 
were  silent  in  breathless  expectation. 

It  was  a  frightful  spot,  and  a  still  more  indescribably 
terrifying  scene,  where  one  might  indeed  say  with  Has- 
san of  Balsora,  "  Lo  !  this  is  the  abode  of  genii  and  of 
ghouls  and  of  devils."  I  had  half  a  mind  to  slip  down 
from  my  rocky  perch  and  run  away.  But  very  soon 
my  anxiety  for  poor  May-Peah  absorbed  every  other 
feeling. 

The  three  prisoners  sat  profoundly  silent,  waiting  in 
sadness  to  hear  their  doom. 

But  why  did  they  not  begin  the  trial  ?  There  were 
the  boxes  and  the  planks  with  little  niches  cut  into  them, 
deep  enough  to  enable  any  nimble  person  to  climb  with 
the  tips  of  their  toes,  and  scale  any  wall  against  which 
they  might  be  placed.  I  turned  to  a  soldier  who  was 
standing  close  by,  and  asked  him  why  they  still  delayed 
the  trial. 

"  They  are  waiting,"  said  he,  as  if  he  knew  all  about  it, 

9  M 


194  ROMANCE  OF  THE  HAREM. 

and  had  witnessed  many  such  scenes  before,  "for  the 
'  sage/  or  holy  man  of  the  woods ;  it  is  for  him  that  they 
have  blown  the  conch-shells  these  three  times."  There 
was,  to  me,  nothing  improbable  in  the  soldier's  story. 
He  told  me  that  this  holy  man,  or  yogi,*  lived  in  a 
cave,  in  the  rocks  adjoining,  all  alone,  and  that  he  rarely 
issued  from  his  unknown  retreat  during  the  day,  but  that 
pious  Hindoos,  while  performing  their  ablutions  in  the 
stream  after  the  close  of  their  labors,  could  see  him 
moving  in  the  moonlight,  and  hear  him  calling  upon  God. 
Feeding  on  tamarinds  and  other  wild  fruits,  he  slept 
during  the  day  like  a  wild  animal,  and  prayed  aloud  all 
night,  oppressed  by  his  longing  and  yearning  after  the 
Invisible,  as  by  some  secret  grief  that  knew  no  balm. 
Even  the  cool  evening  air  brought  him  no  peace;   for, 

"  At  night  the  passion  came, 
Like  the  fierce  fiend  of  a  distempered  dream  ; 
And  shook  him  from  his  rest,  and  led  him  forth 
Into  the  darkness,  to  pray  and  pray  forevermore." 

By  and  by  a  man  appeared  on  the  opposite  banks  of 
the  stream,  plunged  into  it,  and  emerged  on  the  hither 
side ;  shook  the  wet  from  his  hair  like  a  veritable  beast, 
and  made  his  way  towards  the  hall,  where  he  sat  him- 
self shyly  down  near  the  prisoners.  This  strange  mortal, 
who  lived  the  life  of  an  "  orang-outang,"  had  a  remark- 
ably fine,  sensitive  face,  and  a  noble  head,  around  which 
his  long,  matted,  unkempt  hair  fell  like  dark  clouds. 
He  was  meagrely  clad,  and  his  wiry  frame  gave  evidence 
of  great  muscular  power.  There  was,  to  my  thinking, 
a  gleam  of  a  better  and  higher  humanity  in  his  fine, 
dark  face,  that  shot  out  in  irrepressible  flashes,  and  con- 
vinced me,  in  spite  of  his  filth  and  nudity,  of  a  noble  and 
impressive  nature. 

The  soldier  assured  me,  in  a  tone  of  the  utmost  rever- 

*  A  Hindoo  mystic. 


TRIAL  FOR  WITCHCRAFT.  105 

ence,  "  that  this  man's  eyes  were  opened,  that  he  could 
Bee  things  which  the  paid  mercenaries  of  the  court  conid 
not  begin  even  to  comprehend  \  and  that  therefore  they 
always  made  it  a  point  to  invite  him  to  aid  them  in  their 
spiritual  examinations." 

I  somehow  drew  comfort  from  the  yogi's  shy  and  fas- 
cinating face. 

And  now  the  trial  commenced  by  the  judge  reading  the 
king's  letter,  which  spoke  of  the  mysterious  and  impor- 
tant nature  of  the  accusation  made  against  some  unknown 
person  for  the  abduction  of  a  state  prisoner,  a  lady  of 
high  rank  and  unflinching  integrity,  and  called  upon  the 
assembly  to  do  their  utmost  to  unravel  the  inexplicable 
affair. 

After  the  royal  letter  had  received  its  customary  saluta- 
tions, and  at  the  command  of  the  judge,  the  two  Amazons 
who  were  on  duty  on  the  night  of  the  abduction  of  the  prin- 
cess testified  to  the  following  facts  :  "  That  on  the  night 
of  the  12th,  on  a  sudden  a  strong  wind  arose  that  extin- 
guished their  lanterns,  leaving  them  in  utter  darkness,  and 
immediately  afterwards  they  were  sensible  that  a  tall,  dark 
figure  enveloped  in  a  black  veil  entered  the  hall,  and  that 
as  she  approached  them  they  saw,  somewhat  indistinctly, 
that  she  held  a  short  dagger  in  one  hand  and  a  ponderous 
bunch  of  keys  in  the  other;  that  never  before  having 
known  themselves  liable  to  any  illusion  of  the  senses, 
the  horror  which  fell  upon  them  at  the  moment  deprived 
them  of  all  power  of  speech  or  action ;  that,  as  the 
strange  being  stood  over  them  brandishing  her  glittering 
knife,  there  flashed  all  round  about  her  a  hideous  light; 
that  by  this  light  they  saw  her  proceed  to  the  cell  in  which 
the  Princess  Snnartlia  Vismita  was  confined,  open  it  with 
one  of  her  mysterious  keys,  and  lead  the  princess  forth, 
pulling  her  forcibly  along  by  the  hand,  and  as  the  flashes 
died  away  a  double  darkness  fell  upon  them;  that  after 


196  ROMANCE  OF  THE  HAREM. 

an  interval  of  nearly  two  hours,  as  they  were  still  para- 
lyzed and  unable  to  move  from  the  spot,  the  strange  figure 
reappeared,  pallid,  and  more  ghastly  than  before,  but  with- 
out the  veil,  or  the  dagger,  or  the  bunch  of  keys ;  that  she 
passed  quickly  by  them  into  the  cell,  and  drew  the  prison 
door  so  forcibly  that  it  closed  upon  her  with  a  dismal  cry 
of  pain." 

Then  the  two  Laotians  stated  "  that  on  the  night  of  the 
12  th  they  were  awakened  by  the  slamming  of  the  cell 
door,  and,  on  looking  in  the  darkness  towards  the  bed  on 
which  the  princess  slept,  they  saw  a  figure  sitting  on  it ; 
on  which  they  lit  the  lamp,  and  found  it  was  not  their  mis- 
tress, but  a  dumb  slave-woman  in  her  place,  and  that  they 
instinctively  shrank  away  from  her  in  fear  and  horror  lest 
she  should  metamorphose  them  also  into  some  unnatural 
beings." 

As  for  the  Amazons,  it  could  readily  be  seen  that  their 
imaginations  had  been  so  vividly  impressed  that  they  were 
prepared  to  swear  solemnly  to  their  having  seen  a  super- 
natural being  twice  the  size  and  altogether  unlike  the 
deaf  and  dumb  creature  before  them.  The  unnatural 
light  of  pain  or  madness  or  frenzy,  or  whatever  it  was, 
burned  still  more  brightly  in  May-Peah's  eyes.  Her  red- 
dish-brown dress  seemed  to  be  stained  here  and  there 
with  darker  spots,  as  if  of  blood,  and  her  face  grew  more 
and  more  colorless  every  moment.  But  to  all  the  num- 
berless questions  put  to  her  by  every  one  of  the  crafty 
wizards  and  witches,  she  returned  no  reply.  Her  lips 
were  of  an  ashy  whiteness,  and  they  really  seemed  to 
have  been  closed  by  a  supernatural  power. 

I  recalled  her  volubility  of  speech  when  I  first  met 
her,  and  her  impassioned  song,  by  which  she  won  for  her 
mistress  the  acknowledgment  of  a  deep  and  undying  love ; 
and  I  asked  myself  the  question  over  and  over  again,  "  Is 
it  possible  that  she  can  be  acting  ? "     At  a  signal,  an 


TRIAL   FOR   WITCHCRAFT.  197 

alarm-gong  was  struck,  and  so  suddenly  and  immediately 
behind  her  that  the  whole  assembly  started,  and  May-Pe&fi, 

taken  by  surprise,  turned  to  see. whence  the  sound  came. 
"  Now,"  shouted  the  wily  judges,  "  it  is  plain  that  you  can 
s]u  ak,  for  you  are  not  deaf." 

No  sooner  was  this  said  than  the  feeling  against  the 
accused  ran  high,  on  account  of  her  obstinacy,  and 
she  was  forthwith  condemned  to  all  the  tortures  of  the 
rack  But  the  humane  yogi,  on  hearing  this,  raised  his 
bare  arms  on  high,  and  uttered  the  wild  cry  of  "  Yah " 
(forbear)  so  commandingly  that  it  rang  through  the 
temple,  and  arrested  the  cruel  process. 

He  then  turned  to  the  poor  girl,  and,  placing  his  huge, 
bony  hands  upon  her  shoulders,  tenderly  whispered  in  her 
ear  something  which  seemed  to  move  the  prisoner  for  she 
raised  her  burning  eyes,  now  filled  with  tears,  to  his  face, 
and,  shaking  her  head  solemnly  and  sadly  to  and  fro,  laid 
her  finger  on  her  mouth  to  indicate  that  she  could  not  speak. 

A  tender  light  kindled  the  dark  face  of  the  yogi,  as  he 
informed  the  assembly  that  "  the  woman  wTas  not  a  witch, 
nor  even  obstinate,  but  powerless  to  speak,  because  under 
the  influence  of  witchcraft." 

The  tide  of  feeling  was  again  turned  in  the  prisoner's 
favor.  "  Let  her  be  exorcised,"  said  the  chief  judge  of 
the  Supreme  Court,  whose  secretary  was  making  minutes 
of  all  that  took  place  during  the  trial. 

On  which  the  queerest-looking  woman  of  the  party, 
an  old  and  toothless  dame,  drew  out  a  key  from  her 
girdle  and  opened  the  wooden  boxes,  from  which  she 
took  a  small  boat,  a  sort  of  coracle,*  —  such  as  are  still 
found  in  some  parts  of  Wales,  made  by  covering  a  wicker 
frame  with  leather,  —  a  long  gray  veil  of  singular  texture, 
an  earthen  stove,  whereon  to  kindle  a  charcoal  fire,  and 
some  charcoal ;  out  of  the  second  box  she  produced  some 

*  Similar  boats  were  used  by  the  ancient  Egyptians. 


198  ROMANCE  OF  THE  HAREM. 

herbs,  pieces  of  flint,  cast  skins  of  snakes,  feathers,  the 
hair  of  various  animals,  with  dead  men's  bones,  short 
brooms,  and  a  host  of  other  queer  things. 

At  any  other  time  I  should  have  been  highly  amused 
at  the  grotesqueness  of  the  figure,  and  the  comically  ludi- 
crous manner  in  which  she  drew,  one  after  another,  her 
mysterious  ingredients  out  of  her  boxes ;  but  now  I  was 
too  anxious,  and  too  much  pained  by  the  situation  of 
May-Peah,  and  by  what  seemed  to  me  diabolical  jugglery, 
to  think  of  the  comical  side  of  the  scene. 

With  the  charcoal  the  old  woman  proceeded  to  light  a 
fire  in  her  earthen  stove ;  when  it  was  red-hot  she  opened 
several  jars  of  water,  and,  muttering  some  strange  incan- 
tations, threw  into  them  portions  of  her  herbs,  repeating 
over  each  a  mystic  spell,  and  waving  a  curious  wand  which 
looked  like  a  human  bone,  and  might  have  been  once  the 
arm  of  a  stalwart  man.  This  done,  she  seated  the  pris- 
oner in  the  centre  of  the  motley  group,  covered  her  over 
with  the  veil  of  gray  stuff,  and  handing  the  short  hand- 
brooms  to  a  number  of  her  set,  she,  to  my  intense  horror, 
began  to  pour  the  burning  charcoal  over  the  veiled  form 
of  the  prisoner,  which  the  other  women,  dancing  around, 
and  repeating  with  the  wildest  gestures  the  name  of 
Brahma,  as  rapidly  swept  off.  This  was  done  without  even 
singeing  the  veil  or  burning  a  hair  of  May-Peah' s  head. 
After  this  they  emptied  the  jars  of  water  upon  her,  still 
repeating  the  name  of  Brahma.  She  was  then  made  to 
change  her  clothes  for  an  entirely  new  dress,  of  the 
Brahminical  fashion.  Her  dressing  and  undressing  were 
effected  with  great  skill,  without  disclosing  her  person  in 
the  least.  And  once  more  the  yogi  laid  his  hands  upon 
her  shoulders,  and  whispered  again  in  her  ears,  first  the 
right,  and  then  the  left.  But  May-Peah  returned  the  same 
intimation,  shaking  her  head,  and  pointing  to  her  sealed 
lips. 


TRIAL   FOR   WITCHCRAFT.  199 

Then  the  old  wizard,  Khoon  P'hikhat, —  literally,  the 
lord  who  drives  out  the  devil,  —  prostrated  himself  be- 
fore her,  and  prayed  with  a  wild  energy  of  manner;  and, 
rising  suddenly,  he  peremptorily  demanded,  looking  lull 
into  the  prisoner's  face,  "  Where  did  you  drop  the  bunch 
of  keys?" 

The  glaring  daylight  illuminated  with  a  pale  lustre  the 
fine  face  of  the  Laotian  slave,  as  for  the  third  time  she 
moved  her  head,  in  solemn  intimation  that  she  could  not 
or  would  not  speak. 

To  see  her  thus,  no  one  would  believe  but  that,  if  she 
willed,  she  could  speak  at  once. 

"  Open  her  mouth,  and  pour  some  of  the  magic  water 
into  it,"  suggested  one  of  the  "  wise  women." 

But  they  who  opened  her  mouth  fell  back  with  horror, 
and  cried,  "  Brahma,  Brahma !  an  evil  fiend  has  torn  out 
her  tongue."  And  immediately  the  unhappy  woman 
passed  from  being  an  object  of  fear  and  dread  to  one  of 
tender  commiseration,  of  pity,  and  even  of  adoration. 

So  sudden  was  the  transition  from  fear  and  hate  to 
love  and  pity,  that  many  of  the  strong  men  and  women 
wept  outright  at  the  thought  of  the  dreadful  mutilation 
that  the  fiend  had  subjected  her  to. 

Now  came  the  last  and  most  important  question,  "  Was 
the  exorcism  effectual  ? "  To  prove  which  a  small  taper 
was  lighted  and  put  into  the  witches'  boat;  and  the 
whole  company  betook  themselves  to  the  borders  of  the 
stream  to  see  it  launched.  The  boat  swept  gallantly  down 
the  waters,  and  the  feeble  lamp  burned  brightly,  without 
even  a  flicker,  —  for  it  was  a  calm  day,  —  till  it  was 
brought  to  a  stand  by  some  stones  that  were  strewn 
across  the  stream. 

Then  the  yogi  raised  a  shout  of  wild  delight,  and  all 
the  company  iv-echoed  it  with  intense  satisfaction  and 
pleasure.    And,  in  accordance  with  the  king's  instructions, 


200  ROMANCE  OF  THE  HAREM. 

being  fully  acquitted  of  any  complicity  with  the  devil 
in  the  abduction  of  the  princess,  the  prisoners  received 
each  a  sum  of  money,  and  were  set  at  liberty. 

The  planks,  which  in  any  other  court  would  have  been 
one  of  the  most  tangible  evidences  that  some  person  had 
thereby  scaled  the  palace  walls,  were  never  even  thought 
of  during  this  singular  trial.  So  irrational  and  so  super- 
stitious is  the  native  character,  that  they  preferred  to  be- 
lieve in  the  supernatural  rather  than  in  any  rational  cause 
for  the  disappearance  of  the  princess  ;  and  for  once  in  my 
life  I  was  led  to  rejoice  in  their  ignorance. 

It  was  sunset  before  this  inconceivably  grotesque  and 
self-deluded  and  deluding  set  of  maniacs  dispersed.  The 
yogi  went  back  to  the  solitude  of  his  unknown  cave  to 
sleep  by  day  and  pray  alone  by  night.  And  I  sent  my 
syce  home,  and  remained  behind  under  a  jamoon-tree,  to 
which  my  pony  was  tied,  in  the  hope  of  getting  an  op- 
portunity of  speaking  alone  with  the  women  who  still 
lingered  with  May-Peah  in  the  hall. 

When  May-Peah  at  length  saw  me,  she  rushed  into  my 
arms,  and  laid  her  head  upon  my  shoulder,  uttering  the 
most  doleful  and  piteous  of  cries ;  they  were  not  cries 
of  sorrow,  but  of  the  wildest  joy  !  I  embraced  her  with 
something  of  the  tenderness  and  sorrow  with  which  a 
mother  takes  a  brave  but  reckless  child  to  her  heart. 

May-Peah' s  friends  then  told  me,  what  I  had  all  along 
surmised,  that  it  was  she  who  scaled  the  walls  by  means 
of  the  two  planks,  terrified  the  Amazons,  opened  the 
prison  doors  with  the  keys  she  had  provided,  and  led  her 
mistress  forcibly  out.  After  assisting  her  to  climb  the 
walls  on  the  inner  side,  she  sat  on  the  top  of  the  outer 
wall  until  she  saw  her  safely  on  the  other  side.  She  then 
dropped  the  keys  to  her,  to  be  flung  into  the  river.  Here 
the  prince  and  his  two  friends  received  the  princess,  and 
led  her  to  a  small  craft  that  was  ready  to  convey  them  to 


IBIAL  FOR  WITCHCRAFT.  201 

Maulmain  In  vain  they  entreated  May-Peah  to  come 
down  from  the  wall  and  join  their  flight.  She  resolutely 
refused  to  leave  the  companions  of  her  beloved  mi 
in  peril,  and,  full  of  dread  lest,  by  the  dreadful  torture 
which  she  knew  awaited  her,  she  might  be  forced  to  be- 
tray those  who  were  dearer  to  her  than  her  own  life,  she 
with  one  stroke  of  her  sharp  dagger  deprived  herself  for- 
ever of  the  power  of  uttering  a  single  intelligible  sound. 

"  0,  but  why  did  you  not  all  go  off  with  the  princess  ? " 
I  inquired. 

"  Because  we  were  too  many,  and  we  should  have  only 
delayed  and  perhaps  imperilled  the  success  of  the  enter- 
prise," said  the  women  ;  "  and  May-Peah  had  promised  not 
to  leave  us  to  bear  the  penalty  of  her  doings." 

It  was  difficult  to  tear  myself  away  from  her.  I  was 
at  once  proud  to  be  loved  by  her,  and  heart-broken  to 
think  that  she  would  never  speak  again. 

But  at  length  we  parted,  and  she,  raising  her  hands  high 
above  her  head,  waved  them  to  and  fro,  and  smiled  a  joy- 
ful adieu,  in  spite  of  the  pain  she  still  suffered  from  her 
cruel  mutilation. 

They  took  the  way  to  the  river  to  hire  a  boat  for  Pak 
Laut,  whence  they  wrere  to  sail  to  Maulrnain  to  join  the 
fugitive  prince  and  princess. 

Assuredly,  so  long  as  men  and  women  shall  hold  dear 
human  courage  and  devotion  in  what  they  believe  to  be 
a  just  cause,  so  long  will  the  memory  of  this  brave  and 
self-sacrificing  slave -girl  be  cherished. 


202  ROMANCE  OF  THE  HAREM. 


CHAPTER   XXVI. 

THE   CHRISTIAN  VILLAGE   OF  TAMSENG,  OR  OF   THOMAS 
THE   SAINT. 

IT  was  on  a  bright  Sunday  morning  in  the  month  of  May 
that  a  handsome  boat  with  four  young  women  at  the 
oars  conveyed  me  and  my  boy  to  the  residence  of  Mrs. 
Eosa  Hunter,  situated  in  the  village  of  Tamseng. 

My  friend  Mrs.  Hunter  was  a  native  of  Siam,  but  of 
Portuguese  parentage.  Her  husband,  Robert  Hunter,  was 
private  secretary  to  the  supreme  king.  She  had  two  sons, 
who  had  been  taken  away  from  her  in  their  infancy  by 
their  Protestant  father,  —  lest  they  should  be  brought  up 
in  the  Roman  Catholic  faith,  —  and  shipped  off  secretly 
to  Scotland,  in  order  that  they  might  be  educated  under 
the  influences  of  the  Free  Church  of  Scotland,  in  which 
he  had  himself  been  brought  up.  This  occasioned  a 
breach  between  the  husband  and  wife  which  led  to  their 
ultimate  separation,  and  Rosa  returned  all  but  heart- 
broken to  the  home  of  her  childhood,  where  I  visited  her 
at  short  intervals  to  write  the  long,  loving  letters  which 
she  dictated  to  me  in  Siamese,  and  which  I  wrote  in  Eng- 
lish to  her  absent  boys. 

A  day  at  her  house  was  always  a  pleasant  change. 
On  one  of  these  visits,  which  I  remember  well,  the  table 
had  been  spread  by  the  window  that  looked  up  the  river, 
and  lost  it  amid  high  banks  and  the  projecting  spires  of 
the  Roman  Catholic  and  the  Buddhist  temples  adjoining. 

I  had  finished  and  sealed  her  loving  messages  to  her 
absent  children ;  the  moon  was  rising,  and  we  needed  no 
other  light,  as  the  conversation  between  us,  often  shifting 


203 

and  often  pausing,  had  gradually  become  grave,  and  we 
fell  into  confiding  talk  of  what  we  hoped  and  what  we 

feaied,  as  we  saw  the  future  of  our  children  stretched 
before  as  in  deep  shadows. 

"  There  is  so  much  power  in  faith,"  said  Eosa, "  even  in 
relation  to  earthly  things,  that  I  am  surprised  you  are  not 
a  Roman  Catholic.  I  believe  in  my  church  ;  when  I  go  to 
confession  and  receive  the  holy  communion,  I  am  idled 
with  peace  and  trust,  and  have  no  fears  for  the  future." 

"  There  is  a  great  deal  in  what  you  say,  Eosa,"  I  replied ; 
"  but  I  am  afraid  that  I  should  not  make  a  good  Catholic, 
since  I  am  disposed  to  question  everything  that  does  not 
accord  with  my  own  perceptions  of  the  right  and  the  true." 

"  "Well,  I  suppose,"  said  Eosa,  "  that  our  natures  differ ; 
all  my  life  has  its  roots  in  the  Eoman  Catholic  Church. 
I  never  doubt,  therefore  I  never  question.  The  Holy  Vir- 
gin and  her  Son  are  sufficient  for  me,  and  the  good  priest 
who  absolves  me  from  my  sins.  My  only  one  sorrow  is 
that  my  children  are  cast  out  of  the  pale  of  salvation  by 
the  foolish  prejudices  of  their  father." 

This  was  said  in  a  voice  of  much  feeling,  and  tears 
gathered  to  her  eyes.  I  moved  to  her  side,  and  tried  to 
comfort  her  by  saying,  "  After  all,  Eosa,  you  seem  to  let 
your  fears  for  }rour  children  cloud  your  faith  in  that 
Saviour  who  died  for  them  as  well  as  for  you." 

While  I  was  speaking,  my  eyes  fell  upon  a  long,  nar- 
row canoe,  called  by  the  natives  Eua  Keng,  in  which  was 
seated  a  tall,  slender,  and  shapely  young  girl,  who  was 
slowly,  with  the  aid  of  two  short  paddles,  making  her 
way  towards  us  through  the  water,  while  her  face  was 
raised  to  the  moonlight  that  fell  brightly  upon  her.  It 
was  nearly  high  tide;  a  fleet  of  canoes,  boats,  and  barges 
moving  in  all  directions  over  the  broad  waters. 

We  watched  the  girl  as  her  paddles  rose  and  fell  softly 
and  slowly,  silver-tipped  by  the  moonlight,  now  dipping 


204  ROMANCE  OF  THE  HAREM. 

into  the  water,  now  rising  above  it,  like  the  white  wings 
of  some  lazy  bird.  Nearer  and  nearer  came  the  long 
boat,  and  clearer  shone  the  fair  face  that  was  still  up- 
lifted, and  reflected  back  the  moonlight,  till  it  almost 
looked  as  if  divinely  inspired.  It  is  impossible  to  do 
any  kind  of  justice  to  this  beautiful  moonlight  picture. 
Gently  the  boat  shot  under  our  window,  and  was  lost  to 
our  sight. 

I  bade  my  friend  adieu,  and  hastened  to  the  pier, 
where  I  met  the  girl  again.  She  had  fastened  her  canoe 
to  one  of  the  posts  that  supported  the  quay,  and  was 
crossing  the  street :  in  one  hand  she  held  a  bunch  of 
lilies,  and  in  the  other  a  lotus-shaped  vase  full  of  flowers. 

Yielding  to  the  impulse  of  the  moment,  instead  of 
stepping  into  my  boat  I  took  my  boy's  hand  and  followed 
her  graceful  figure. 

It  was  not  yet  seven  o'clock.  A  number  of  people 
were  in  the  squalid,  dirty  streets  of  Tamseng.  The 
twinkling  evening  lights  were  stealing  out  one  by  one, 
and  the  girl  drew  over  her  face  a  veil  or  covering  which 
was  attached  to  her  hair  by  a  large  and  beautiful  pin.  A 
dozen  or  more  steps,  and  we  stood  in  the  porch  of  the 
Eoman  Catholic  chapel  dedicated  to  "  Tomas  the  Saint." 

Lights  were  burning  on  the  altar,  over  which  were  two 
figures  of  the  Christ :  one  suspended  above  it  with  a 
crown  of  thorns,  bleeding,  and  nailed  to  the  cross ;  the 
other,  of  magnificent  stature,  was  enveloped  in  a  costume 
as  gorgeous  as  the  coronation  robes  of  an  emperor,  the 
vestment  being  a  sort  of  Indian  brocade  of  woven  gold 
arabesqued  with  jewels  and  scented  with  spikenard ;  a 
diadem  lavishly  adorned  with  emeralds  and  diamonds 
pressed  its  forehead,  in  some  measure  confining  the  hair 
which  streamed  down  in  abundant  tresses  upon  the  shoul- 
ders, and  mingled  with  a  beard  no  darker  than  the  glossy 
hue  of  the  chestnut.     On  either  side  of  the  altar  were 


THE   CHRISTIAN   VILLAGE   OF   TAMSENG.  205 

two  other  figures,  one  of  the  Virgin  Mother,  in  the  same 
regal  attire,  and  crowned  as  the  queen  of  heaven  ;  while 
the  other  was  the  patron  saint,  with  a  flowing  beard  and 
a  benevolent  face.  Suspended  over  the  altar  was  a  grand 
Japanese  lamp. 

The  priest,  a  dark,  heavily  built  man,  a  native,  but  of 
Portuguese  parentage,  was  standing  before  it,  with  his  cap 
on  his  head  and  his  back  to  the  congregation. 

The  moment  the  girl  beheld  the  glory  of  the  altar  and 
the  lights  that  shot  up  and  quivered  and  were  reflected 
in  a  thousand  beautiful  tints  upon  the  magnificent  figure 
of  the  Christ,  she  dropped  on  her  knees  and  held  down 
her  head  in  mute  adoration.  After  a  little  while  she 
rose,  and,  advancing  a  few  steps  nearer,  placed  her  golden 
lotus-shaped  vase  of  flowers  on  the  bare  floor,  dropped  on 
her  knees  again,  and,  holding  the  white  lilies  between  her 
folded  hands,  seemed  absorbed  hi  her  devotions. 

In  her  attitude  and  bearing  there  was  a  depth  of  feel- 
ing which,  harmonizing  with  her  beautiful  figure,  arrested 
the  eye  of  the  observer,  and  cast  every  other  object  in  the 
shade. 

I  withdrew  reluctantly  and  returned  to  my  boat,  won- 
dering who  she  could  be.  On  my  way  home  I  gathered 
from  the  women  at  the  oars  that  she  was  known  by  the 
name  of  Nang  Runge&h  (Lady  Rungeah)  ;  *  that  her 
parents  were  Buddhists  and  Cambodians,  proprietors  of  a 
large  plantation  east  of  Tamseng.  Her  father,  Chow  Suah 
Phagnnn,  was  a  distinguished  noble,  and  her  mother  a 
Cambodian  lady  of  high  birth,  who  claimed  to  be  de- 
scended from  the  rulers  of  that  ancient  and  almost 
unknown  kingdom,  and  that  her  only  brother  was  a 
Buddhist  priest.  Bnt  the  Nang  Rnnge&h  had  become 
deeply  impressed  with  the  beauty  of  the  Christian  re- 

*  Runge&h,  a  sort  of  magenta-colored  lotus,  found  in  the  pools  and 
marshes  of  Siam. 


206  ROMANCE  OF  THE  HAREM. 

ligion,  and  was  at  this  moment  the  only  candidate  who 
had  offered  herself,  for  a  number  of  years,  for  baptism 
into  the  Eoman  Catholic  Church. 

"  Tomas  Saint,"  the  founder  of  the  beautiful  church 
around  which  had  grown  up  this  Christian  village,  was  a 
Portuguese  gentleman  renowned  for  his  piety  and  his 
wealth.  He  had  obtained  the  title  of  "  saint,"  even  in  his 
lifetime ;  but  the  good  people,  fearing  to  arouse  the  jealousy 
of  the  Apostle  of  Christ,  after  whom  he  was  named, 
placed  the  title  after,  instead  of  before,  his  name,  and  out 
of  it  had  grown  the  name  of  "  Tamseng." 

On  the  very  next  Saturday  following,  it  being  the  first 
holiday  that  offered  itself  to  me,  I  set  out  with  my  boy 
very  early  in  the  morning  to  explore  the  village  of  Tam- 
seng. 

We  chose  for  our  head-quarters  one  of  the  most  beau- 
tiful Buddhist  temples  in  the  neighborhood,  the  grounds 
and  monasteries  bounded  the  Catholic  village  on  the 
northeast  side  of  the  river. 

This  temple,  called  Adi  Buddha  Annando,  i.  e.  The 
First  Buddha,  or  The  Infinite,  was  embowered  in  a  grove 
of  trees  of  luxuriant  growth,  affording  a  delicious  shade. 
It  must  have  been,  in  its  best  clays,  a  magnificent  build- 
ing ;  for  even  now,  though  much  of  its  beauty  was  obliter- 
ated, it  was  covered  from  its  massive  base  to  its  tapering 
summits  with  sculptures,  and  frescoed  within  and  without 
with  marvellous  effect,  so  that  wherever  you  turned  your 
eyes  the  impression  of  a  more  subtle  and  a  finer  spiritual- 
ity dawned  upon  you,  as  it  was  meet  it  should,  in  a 
temple  dedicated  to  One  whom  the  pious  Buddhists  will 
never  even  name,  so  great  is  their  reverence  for  the  First 
or  Supreme  Intelligence. 

After  a  simple  breakfast  of  fruit  and  milk,  we  strolled 
about  the  village  and  its  surroundings,  making  notes  and 
sketches  of  all  that  could  be  seen. 


THE   CHRISTIAN    VILLAGE   OF   TA.MSI  207 

It  was  surprising  to  me  that  it  looked  so  well  in  the 
early  Btinshine.  The  places  that  had  struck  me  as  foul 
and  repulsive  in  the  dim  twilight  now  wore  a  different 
aspect,  as  if  bent  on  looking  their  brightest  and  best  in 
acknowledgment  of  the  prodigal  sunlight 

I »ut  the  farther  we  penetrated  into  the  heart  of  the 
village  the  more  we  were  disappointed,  and  my  first  im- 
pressions were  more  than  realized.  We  soon  came  upon 
scenes  of  the  most  squalid  misery  and  filth,  poverty  and 
destitution,  amid  heaps  of  refuse  and  puddles  of  mud  that 
caused  us  to  shrink  aside  with  disgust 

It  is  natural  to  demand  that  beautiful  ideas  should  be 
clothed  with  beautiful  forms.  It  was  therefore  to  me  an 
outrage  on  the  name  of  Christianity  to  find  that  while  all 
around  lay  scenes  of  luxuriant  beauty  which  brightened 
the  eye  and  cheered  the  heart,  the  only  Christian  village 
in  the  vicinity  of  Bangkok,  which  should  have  been  an 
embodiment  of  all  that  is  pure  and  lovely,  had  been  trans- 
formed by  the  greed  and  oppression  of  the  local  officers 
to  a  pestilential  spot  to  fester  and  poison  the  pure  air  of 
heaven.  Some  few  native  Christian  women  were  about 
milking  their  goats,  others  were  seated  oh  their  doorsteps, 
unwashed  and  uncombed ;  they  seemed  even  to  have  lost 
the  virtue  of  personal  cleanliness,  which  with  the  Indian 
covers  a  multitude  of  sins.  Stray  packs  of  pariah  dogs 
and  herds  of  swine  were  barking  and  grunting  in  the  Ill- 
kept  streets,  and  all  kinds  of  poultry  were  picking  a 
scanty  breakfast  from  the  heaps  of  garbage.  Every  dow 
and  then  we  were  compelled  to  cross  a  stagnant  pool  or  a 
muddy  gutter  alive  with  insects. 

^  I  never  saw  anything  like  the  mudj  it  was  a  black 
liquid,  sti.-kv,  slimy,  and  yet  hard,  hurting  like  hail  when 
it  struck  the  flesh. 

And  now  we  reached  the  quaint  little  dhapel  of  "Tomas 
Saint."    Its  glories  were  sadly  obscured  by  wet  and  damp, 


208  ROMANCE  OF  THE  HAREM. 

and  the  painting  and  gilding  on  the  outside  looked  cold 
and  dull. 

A  colored  priest,  a  descendant  of  the  renowned  Tomas, 
was  officiating.  It  was  some  saint's  day.  An  assem- 
blage of  men,  women,  and  children  was  seated  on  the 
floor,  some  in  groups  and  some  on  rude  benches.  The 
priest  bends  over  his  missal,  and  pours  forth  in  execrable 
Latin  the  exquisite  prayers  of  the  Church  of  Eome ;  and 
all  the  congregation,  in  their  silks,  and  in  their  rags  and 
wretchedness,  are  hushed  and  silent,  with  bent  heads  and 
folded  hands,  while  the  sound  of  the  prayers  —  which  they 
do  not  understand,  beyond  that  it  is  the  voice  of  prayer  — 
fills  their  unenlightened  but  reverent  hearts  with  myste- 
rious dread  and  worship. 

On  quitting  the  chapel,  we  were  at  once  beset  by  a 
numerous  horde  of  beggars.  It  was  not  food  or  money 
that  they  craved,  but,  strange  to  say,  it  was  justice.  They 
followed  us  all  the  way  back  to  the  temple,  importuning 
me  to  redress  their  wrongs  and  find  a  remedy  for  their 
grievances.  Some  of  the  poor  wretches  were  half-witted, 
and  not  a  few  were  crazed.  An  elderly  lady,  evidently 
once  of  superior  rank,  came  crawling  up  to  me,  and  clasped 
my  feet,  making  a  painful  noise  in  a  language  that  I  could 
not  understand,  and  piteously  gesticulating  some  incom- 
prehensible request.  The  people  of  the  place  denied  all 
knowledge  of  her.  At  last  she  insisted  on  my  giving  her 
a  leaf  out  of  my  note-book  full  of  writing,  which  she 
apparently  considered  as  a  charm,  for  she  attached  it  to  a 
cord  round  her  neck,  and  seemed  to  be  perfectly  happy  in 
its  possession.  God  only  knows  what  the  poor  thing 
wanted  to  tell  me,  but  likely  enough  her  story  was  one 
of  some  great  wrong,  of  some  cruel  injustice.  If  the 
smallest  details  of  what  I  heard  that  day  might  be  cred- 
ited, the  wrongs  of  these  people  were  of  the  most  harrow- 
ing nature,  and  altogether  without  hope  of  remedy  under 


Till:   I  1IK1ST1AN    VILLAGE   OF  TAMSENC.  209 

the  twofold  ami  inveterately  vicious  system  of  Siam- 
ese and  r.irtugo-Siamese  administration  that  prevailed 
there. 

I  was  alarmed  when  I  found  that  my  visit  was  thought 
to  be  one  secretly  intended  "to  spy  out  the  land,"  in  the 
service  of  the  king  of  Siam,  and  that  I  was  expected  to 
wipe  away  the  tears  from  all  eyes.  In  vain  I  protested 
to  the  contrary;  no  one  would  listen  to  me,  but  the  crowds 
kept  coining  and  going,  and  pleading  and  praying,  and 
promising  me  fabulous  sums  of  money  if  I  would  only 
see  their  wrongs  redressed. 

Many  a  heart-rending  tale  was  told  to  me  that  day, 
with  quivering  lips  and  streaming  eyes,  as  I  rested  beneath 
the  porch  of  the  temple  of  Adi  Buddha  Annando,  by 
women  who  had  been  plundered  of  all  they  once  pos- 
sessed, their  children  sold  into  slavery  or  tortured  to 
death,  their  habitations  despoiled,  merely  because  they 
happened  to  have  property,  and  presumed  to  live  inde- 
pendently upon  lands  which  their  more  powerful  neigh- 
bors coveted. 

The  greater  number  of  these  depredators  were  Siamese 
of  influence,  who  had  enrolled  themselves  as  Christians 
under  the  French  or  the  Portuguese  flags,  and  unless  the 
sufferer  could  claim  the  protection  of  either  the  one  or  the 
other,  it  seemed  a  cruel  mockery  to  refer  them  for  redress 
to  any  existing  local  authority,  so  long  as  Fliava  Visate, 
a  high  but  unprincipled  Roman  Catholic  dignitary,  was 
the  governor  of  this  district;  and  the  saddest  part  of  it 
all  was,  that  the  sufferers  themselves  felt  there  was  no  use 
in  applying  for  justice  to  him. 

In  talking  with  some  Buddhist  men  and  women  who 
were  land  proprietors  in  the  vicinity,  they  told  me  that 
they  were  afraid  of  their  Christian  brethren,  and  would 
not,  if  they  could  prevent  it,  permit  them  to  lease  farm3 
on  their  estates. 


210  ROMANCE  OF  THE  HAREM. 

"Why?"  I  asked 

"  Because,  if  they  once  get  hold  of  a  house  or  a  farm, 
they  manage  in  time  to  turn  us  out." 

"  But  how  ? " 

"  Well,  they  lease  small  bits  of  land,  year  after  year, 
expend  money  on  it,  and  then,  when  they  have  a  suffi- 
ciently large  plantation  to  settle  upon,  they  refuse  to  pay 
rent,  go  to  law,  and  bring  false  witnesses  to  prove  they 
have  purchased  the  land  of  the  owners,  while  the  local 
authorities  either  take  the  part  of  the  wrong-doers  or  im- 
prison both  parties  until  they  have  squeezed  all  they  can 
out  of  them.  The  Buddhist  does  not  dare,"  said  they, 
"  to  lay  Ins  hand  upon  the  sacred  tree  *  and  swear  falsely, 
because  the  god  who  lives  in  it  sees  all,  and  he  dreads 
his  vengeance.  But  the  Christian  may  swear  to  as  many 
lies  as  he  pleases,  for  the  priests  of  the  P'hra  Jesu  will 
give  him  absolution  for  them.  Where,  then,  is  the  harm 
to  him  ? " 

I  observed  among  the  crowd  a  highly  respectable  looking 
and  handsomely  dressed  woman,  who  sat  apart,  taking  no 
share  in  the  conversation,  but  listening  with  apparent 
interest  to  all  that  was  said.  Her  eyes  were  very  dark 
and  very  fine,  but  filled  with  rather  a  sad  expression. 

Towards  evening  she  rose  to  go  away,  but,  as  if  on  sec- 
ond thought,  she  turned  to  me  and  greeted  me  in  a 
peculiarly  sweet  voice,  that  sounded  like  music  to  my 
ears  after  all  the  voices  of  the  crowd,  inviting  us  to  go 
and  take  our  evening  meal  at  her  house,  to  which  she  at 
once  led  the  way. 

A  narrow,  gravelled  walk  led  to  the  house,  situated  in 
a  lovely  garden,  and  separated  by  a  wilderness  of  wild 
plants  and  prickly-pears  from  the  neighboring  Christian 
village.  A  long  veranda  with  stone  steps  led  down  to  the 
gravelled  path.     Just  in  front  stood  an  old  banyan-tree, 

*  Boh,  or  bogara-tree. 


Tin:    I  HKISTIAX    TILLAGE    OS    TA.MS&NG.  211 

lusty  ami  burly  in  the  full  Btrength  of  its  gnarled  trunk, 
and  vigorous,  long  boughs  and  branches  forming  arched 
and  leafy  bowers  all  round  it. 

The  pathway  ran  through  a  shrubbery  luxuriant  with 
oleanders,  jessamine,  roses,  laurel,  and  the  Indian  myrtle. 
Beneath  these  small  wild  rabbits  had  formed  a  colony, 
and  it  was  curious  to  see  a  leaf  moved  upwards  myste- 
riously, a  head  and  ears  protrude  themselves,  or  a  tail  and 
legs,  and  then  disappear  as  suddenly.  This  road  ran  to  a 
great  distance  behind  the  house,  and  led  through  nearly 
three  miles  of  ground,  laid  out  in  sugar,  rice,  cocoanut, 
and  tobacco  plantations.  A  small  stream  trickled  through 
these,  stagnating  here  and  there  into  deep,  green  pools. 

In  passing  near  one  of  these  pools  I  noticed  that  my 
hostess  turned  away  her  face,  and  in  answer  to  my  ques- 
tions, she  told  me  that  it  wTas  once  a  large  tank,  but  was 
now  called  Talataie,  the  Pool  of  Death.  On  further  in- 
quiry, I  learned  that  this  name  had  been  given  it  from  a 
tragic  circumstance  which  had  happened  in  her  family ; 
that  shortly  after  her  eldest  daughter's  engagement  to  a 
young  Siamese  Christian,  the  betrothed  pair  went  out  for 
a  ramble  along  the  banks  of  the  streamlet.  Night  de- 
scended, and  the  shadows  deepened  into  midnight,  but 
her  daughter  and  her  lover  did  not  return.  At  length 
her  fears  were  aroused,  and  the  whole  household  set  out 
with  lanterns  to  search  the  grounds ;  but  nowhere  could 
they  find  a  trace  of  the  absent  couple  until  morning 
dawned  upon  their  fruitless  search,  when  her  daughter 
was  found  lying  on  her  face  in  the  dark  pool,  stripped  of 
all  the  beautiful  jewels  in  which  she  had  arrayed  herself 
on  the  previous  evening;  and  her  Christian  lover  was 
never  seen  or  heard  of  again.  "  But  Jar  spirit  still  haunts 
the  spot,"  said  the  sad  mother  t<»  me,  '-and  on  moonlight 
nights  I  see  her  pale  form  floating  in  the  pool  and  crying 
to  us  for  help." 


212  ROMANCE  OF  THE  HAREM. 

The  lady  then  wiped  away  her  tears  with  her  black 
p'ha  horn,  or  scarf,  and  led  us  into  the  house.  Her  hus- 
band, a  much  older  and  more  melancholy-looking  person, 
now  appeared,  and  the  slaves  brought  us  a  great  many 
delicacies  on  silver  trays. 

While  we  partook  of  them,  our  hostess  asked  me  a 
number  of  questions  about  my  home,  friends,  children, 
and  relatives.  She  then  informed  me  that  her  family  now 
consisted  of  one  son  and  a  daughter,  and  that  the  former 
was  a  Buddhist  priest,  serving  in  the  very  temple  where 
she  had  met  me. 

"  Where  is  your  daughter  now  ? "  I  inquired. 

She  pointed  to  a  window  which  opened  into  an  inner 
chamber.  I  looked  in,  and  to  my  glad  surprise  saw 
seated  on  a  low  stool,  holding  an  open  book  in  which  she 
seemed  wholly  absorbed,  the  same  girl  who  had  so  at- 
tracted me  on  the  Sunday  evening  previous. 

Her  face  was  very  fine  and  seemingly  full  of  spiritual 
beauty,  and  her  figure  surpassingly  beautiful.  While  we 
stood  gazing  at  her,  some  sudden  and  apparently  painful 
emotion  flitted  rapidly  across  her  face  as  she  read  in  the 
book,  like  the  shadow  of  a  dark  cloud  over  the  quiet  water. 

The  mother  was  silent,  evidently  making  an  effort  to 
master  the  feelings  which  this  sight  occasioned  in  her 
breast,  so  as  to  speak  calmly  about  it. 

I  sat  down  again,  and  inquired  the  name  of  the  book 
in  which  her  daughter  was  so  absorbed. 

"  It  is  a  book  called  Beeble,"  said  the  woman.  "  What 
kind  of  a  book  is  it  ?  " 

I  assured  her  that  it  was  a  very  good  book,  the  Book 
above  all  others  ever  printed ;  that  her  daughter  did  well 
to  read  it,  and  that  it  would  help  to  develop  her  into  a 
lovely  and  beautiful  character. 

I  then  left  my  kind  hostess,  satisfied  and  yet  saddened 
by  my  trip  to  Tamseng. 


NANG    BUNGEAH.   THE  CAMBODIAN   PROSELYTE.       213 


CHAPTER    XXVII. 

NANG  RUNGEAH,   THE   CAMBODIAN   PROSELYTE. 

TAMSENG  presented  a  picture  of  the  sea  at  the  mo- 
ment when  the  tide  is  on  the  turn :  there  is  always 
a  lull,  and  sometimes  a  profound  calm,  before  the  mighty 
currents  shift  and  set  in  another  direction.  The  eager 
child  who  is  piling  up  castles  of  sand  one  upon  another 
on  its  shores  pauses  in  wonder  and  astonishment  at  the 
sight.  That  strong  angel,  the  tide,  that  he  had  watched 
in  breathless  delight  advancing  resistlessly,  ever  onward, 
nearer  and  nearer,  rushing  on  to  kiss  with  its  foaming 
mouth  his  wayward  feet,  then  rolling  back,  and  "  laughing 
from  its  lips  the  audacious  brine,"  is  suddenly  arrested. 
The  dull,  surging  roar  that  filled  his  ear,  as  if  it  were  the 
voice  of  some  mysterious  sea-god,  is  hushed ;  the  great 
sea  has  become  silent  and  still,  and  the  strong  aneel  has 
expired.  His  last  faint  effort,  and  his  feeble  dying  moan, 
fall  upon  the  child's  attentive  eye  and  listening  ear  like 
a  death-knell,  for  he  has  been  told  that  this  "  tide  "  keeps 
the  salt  sea  fresh  and  its  shores  healthful.  He  sets  up  a 
shout  of  despair,  and  prays  the  strong  angel  to  return  and 
trouble  again  the  still  waters,  to  renew  the  life  which  has 
passed  away,  and  prevent  that  in-setting  of  stagnation 
that  must  bring  with  it  mortal  disease  to  the  earth. 

Religions  haw  fcheii  tides  as  well  as  the  ocean,  and  all 
life  ha  n«l  cyclical  currents,  whether  in  the  church, 

the  state,  the  individual,  or  the  nation.  Thus  this  little 
village  ofTamseng  seemed  1.  >ng  since  to  have  arrived  at  the 
period  of  that  reaction  which  marks  the  disappearance  of 
the  tide  from  the  sea,  and  the  influx  of  that  slu^ish  in- 


214  ROMANCE  OF  THE  HAEEM. 

sensibility  which  foretells  the  beginning  of  the  stagnation, 
which,  if  not  removed,  must  inevitably  end  in  mortifica- 
tion and  death. 

But  now,  after  the  torpor  of  nearly  half  a  century,  and 
through  the  death-like  stagnation  of  the  decaying  village, 
there  is  heard  a  voice  of  general  rejoicing.  The  main 
features  of  the  place  undergo  a  slight  change ;  a  gentle 
flow  of  life  stirs  its  corpse-like  visage;  a  beautiful  and 
wealthy  Cambodian  heiress,  the  Lady  Nang  Eungeah  is  a 
candidate  for  baptism  in  the  Eoman  Catholic  Church. 

On  the  25th  of  June,  it  being  the  morning  of  her  first 
confessional,  the  bells  are  set  in  motion  and  ring  all  day 
till  sunset,  as  is  the  custom  for  a  new  convert,  resounding 
in  the  glens  and  hollows  and  amid  the  spires  of  the 
Buddhist  and  Eoman  Catholic  temples. 

The  chamber  into  which  I  had  looked  at  a  young  girl 
reading  with  her  heart  and  eyes  a  copy  of  the  New  Testa- 
ment —  translated,  not  by  a  Eoman  Catholic,  but  by  an 
American  Presbyterian  missionary,  the  Eev.  Mr.  Mattoon 
—  is  now  the  centre  of  a  most  animated  scene.  Khoon 
P'hagunn  and  Ms  wife  Jethamas  are  seated  in  the  little 
room  in  earnest  conversation.  They  are  interrupted  by 
their  daughter  Eungeah,  who  comes  quietly  in,  throws 
her  arms  around  her  mother,  kneels  before  her  and  lays 
her  head  in  her  lap.  The  mother  folds  her  arms  tenderly 
around  her  child,  and  caresses  her  lovingly,  smoothing 
her  soft  hair. 

"  Ah  !  Eungeah,  art  thou  dressed  already  ?  Thou  dost 
not  need  much  adornment."  And  the  old  man's  eyes 
brightened  with  pride  and  love  as  they  lighted  on  the 
pleasant  beauty  and  the  graceful  proportions  of  his 
daughter. 

Nang  Eungeah,  the  bright  lotus-flower,  was  indeed 
pleasant  to  look  upon.  Hers  was  the  half  Indian  and 
half  Cambodian  beauty  so  rare  in  Siam,  —  the  large,  long, 


NAN<;   BUNGEAH,  THE  OAMBODIAM   PBOSELTTK.      215 

drooping  eye,  round,  oval  fare,  and  clear  complexion,  with 
a  touch  of  healthful  ruddiness  in  her  cheeks,  purple-black 

hair.  soft  and  ri.-h,  foiling  loosely  in  long  curls  over  her 

shoulders.     The  charms  of  her  face  and  feature,  however, 

naught  to  the   brightness   and  kindliness   that 

played  over  them  like  a  sunny  gleam.     Her  figure  was 

remarkable,  tall  and  lithe,  yet  perfectly  round. •<!,  and 
swelling  fairly  beneath  the  graceful  bodice  and  the  full 
skill  that  fell  in  soft  folds  to  her  sandalled  feet.  The  pin 
by  which  her  veil  was  fastened  was  set  off  with  a  number 
of  brilliants  ;  her  arms  were  ornamented  with  gold  bangles, 
and  on  her  neck  she  wore  a  new  chain,  a  gift  from  her 
sal  and  loving  mother,  a  rosary  of  gold  and  black  coral 
beads,  to  which  was  attached  a  massive  gold  figure  of  the 
Christ  on  the  cross. 

"  Alas !  my  child,"  said  the  mother  at  length,  "  I  pray 
P'hra  Buddh  the  Chow  that  no  harm  will  come  to  thee 
through  this  new  religion." 

"  I  wonder  to  hear  you  speak  thus,  dear  mother,"  re- 
plied the  young  girl,  lifting  her  eyes  reproachfully  to  her 
mother's  face.  "  0,  I  wish  you  could  be  brought  to  see 
how  much  more  beautiful  this  religion  of  P'hra  Jesu  is 
than  that  of  Buddha ;  and  then  think  of  the  beautiful 
'  Marie/  his  Holy  Mother,  who  is  ever  at  his  side,  ready  to 
whisper  words  of  tender  love  and  pity  in  behalf  of  such 
poor  sinners  as  we  are.  I  feel  as  if  I  should  never  go 
astray,  or  do  any  evil  thing,  now  that  I  have  the  good 
priest  to  pray  for  me,  and  the  Holy  Mother  and  her  Son 
to  be  my  gods." 

"P'hra  Buddha  forbid  that  I  should  mistrust  your 
gods,  my  child  ;  but  I  do  mistrust  the  priests  and  my  own 
heart,"  Bald  the  anxious  mother. 

In  spite  of  her  love  and  her  faith,  Pungeah's  cheek 
grew  pale  and  her  eyes  filled  with  tears  as  she  reached 
the  chapel  of   Tainseng.      With  a  palpitating  heart  she 


216  ROMANCE  OF  THE  HAREM. 

knelt  at  the  confessional-box,  waiting  for  the  priest  to 
take  his  place  within,  and  open  the  small  window  through 
which  he  heard  the  confessions  of  the  congregation. 

She  hears  a  footstep  on  the  other  side.  The  priest  en- 
ters, he  shuts  the  door  upon  himself  and  takes  his  place ; 
he  then  pulls  a  cord  which  opens  the  little  window  of  the 
confessional-box,  and  shuts  at  the  same  time  the  door 
which  she  had  left  ajar  as  she  came  into  the  chamber. 

The  confessional  window  is  open,  and  the  priest  coughs 
a  slight  cough ;  but  Eungeah  kneels  there  with  her  heart 
beating  and  her  hands  folded,  gazing  on  that  ideal  and 
perfect  manhood  who  has  given  up  his  life  to  save  hers. 

After  a  long  interval  of  silence,  the  voice  of  the  priest 
breaks  upon  her  ear,  like  the  boom  of  a  cannon  amid  a 
garden  of  flowers. 

"  My  daughter,"  said  the  voice,  "  confess  your  sins." 

"  My  father,"  replies  Eungeah,  her  love  and  joy  breath- 
ing from  her  heart  and  struggling  for  utterance  on  her 
lips,  "whenever  I  think  of  Him,  His  goodness  and  His 
love,  of  which  I  never  tire  reading,  I  am  filled  with  glad- 
ness and  praise  ;  I  am  now  never  weary,  never  cast  down, 
never  afflicted,  nor  does  my  heart  or  my  pulse  ever  fail 
me  in  loving  and  adoring  Him." 

"  My  daughter,"  interrupted  the  priest,  suddenly,  "  this 
is  not  confession ;  you  must  tell  me  of  your  secret  sins, 
the  guilty  thoughts,  words,  and  acts  you  have  cherished, 
spoken,  or  committed,  when  you  were  still  a  believer  in 
the  false  and  horrible  doctrines  of  the  Buddha." 

A  deep  flush  of  pride,  which  the  girl  herself  does  not 
quite  understand,  overspreads  her  beautiful  face,  and  her 
lips,  still  quivering,  remain  parted  in  surprise.  Her  secret 
sins  and  guilty  thoughts  !  Why  blame  her  for  not  re- 
membering them  ? 

She  was  as  pure  as  the  snow-flake  upon  the  mountain- 
top. 


NANG   RUNGSAHj   THE  CAMBODIAN  PROSELYTE.       217 

She  tuned  hex  thoughts  upon  herself,  and  tried  to  re- 
tall  BOme  sin;  she  would  have  given  the  world  to  find 
some  grave  fault  which  she  could  justly  own  as  hers,  to 
pour  into  the  ears  of  the  impatient  priest.  But  she  could 
not  recall  a  single  one. 

"  My  memory  is  treacherous,  good  father,"  said  she  ;  "  I 
cannot  now  recall  any  one  of  my  sins  in  particular,  though 
I  must  have  done  many,  many  wrong  things,  unless,  in- 
deed, it  is  the  one  I  have  committed  in  forsaking  my  dear 
old  god  Buddha,  whom  I  did  truly  love  and  reverence 
until  I  heard  and  read  of  the  beautiful  P'hra  Jesu." 

"  This  is  not  satisfactory,"  said  the  priest,  dryly ;  "  you 
will  have  to  do  penance  for  such  thoughts  as  these ;  and 
where  did  you  read  of  Fhra  Jesu  ?  " 

"  Ah  !  "  said  the  girl,  "  I  have  a  beautiful  book  which 
tells  me  all  about  him." 

"  But  who  gave  it  to  you  ?  "  persisted  the  priest. 

"I  found  it  in  the  temple  of  Adi  Buddha  Annando, 
where  it  was  left  for  my  brother  by  an  American  priest." 

The  priest  of  Tamseng  turned  uneasily  in  his  seat,  and 
coughed  a  low  cough  preparatory  to  what  he  was  going 
to  say. 

"  M y  daughter,"  said  he  at  length,  in  a  voice  of  grave 
reproof,  "  this  last  is  a  dreadful  sin.  That  book  is  dan- 
gerous, and  those  American  priests  are  our  enemies. 
They  lie  in  wait  to  deceive  the  children  of  the  true 
Church.  They  deny  the  divinity  of  the  Holy  Mother 
of  God,  and  they  go  about  the  country  preaching  their 
false  doctrines  and  giving  away  their  books  only  to  de- 
lude the  simple-hearted  natives.  Be  sure  that  you  never 
listen  to  th  an,  and  that  you  abstain  from  looking  into 
that  book  again.  Bring  the  book  to  me,  and  you  will  be 
saved  from  this  great  temptation." 

The  girl  listened,  abashed,  hanging  down  her  head,  and 
with  tears  of  repentance  in  her  eyes. 
10 


218  ROMANCE  OF  THE  HAREM. 

He  then  proceeded  to  state  the  penance  she  would  have 
to  perform. 

To  repeat  fifty  paternosters,  walk,  on  the  following 
Sabbath  morning,  barefooted,  and  dressed  in  her  meanest 
garb,  to  the  chapel  of  Tamseng,  and  be  admitted  thus  by- 
baptism  into  the  true  Church. 

The  priest  again  pulled  the  cord ;  the  window  was  shut, 
the  door  stood  ajar,  and  the  girl  rose  and  passed  out  to 
join  her  attendants.  Her  bright  face  was  overcast,  un- 
bidden tears  were  in  her  eyes,  and  all  her  love  and  joy  in 
the  beautiful  Saviour  she  had  found  blighted  like  au- 
tumn leaves  before  the  wind.  When  she  gained  her  boat, 
great  black  clouds  lowered  in  the  sky,  the  winds  rose  into 
a  squall,  and  the  waves  tossed  and  tumbled  and  rolled 
high  upon  the  banks.  It  was  one  of  those  sudden  hurri- 
canes that  are  so  common  in  Siam.  The  boat  proved 
unmanageable,  and,  in  spite  of  all  the  combined  efforts  of 
the  three  women,  she  was  capsized  in  the  middle  of  the 
angry,  surging  waters.  Long  and  desperately  the  women 
struggle  for  life,  again  and  again  they  try  to  swim  towards 
the  bank,  but  the  stronger  waters  carry  them  away  in 
their  irresistible  grasp. 

The  high-priest  of  the  temple  of  Adi  Buddha  Annando 
has  taken  shelter  beneath  the  porch  of  his  temple.  He 
sees  the  empty  boat  and  the  struggling  women  ;  he  hesi- 
tates. His  vows  forbid  him  to  touch  a  woman,  even  his 
own  mother,  and  still  hold  Iris  office  as  a  priest  of  Buddha. 
He  sees  the  women  throw  up  their  arms  as  if  imploring 
his  aid.  He  casts  aside  his  upper  yellow  robe,  and  plunges 
in  to  their  rescue,  regardless  of  his  vows,  Iris  office,  of 
everything  else. 

And  now  a  sudden  dizziness  veils  the  eyes  of  the  ISTang 
Piungeah;  while  her  companions  are  safe  on  the  bank, 
she  relaxes  her  efforts  ;  a  sickness  like  that  of  death  over- 
comes her,  and  she  sinks.      But  again  the  strong  man 


NTNii    UlNCKAII,   Till:   CAMBODIAN   PBOSELYTE.        219 

plunges  and  dives  deeper  and  deeper,  and  at  last  holds  her 
firmly  in  his  herculean  anus.  She  hears,  or  sin-  think.- sin-, 
hears,  the  70106  of  the  priest  reproving  her,  and  the  jubi- 
lant chimes  of  T&mseng  clang  at  her  fainting  hear!  as  sheis 

home  out  of  the  dark  waters  and  laid  upon  the  flowery 

hank  ;  but  at  length  she  opens  her  eyes  on  Maha  Sap,  the 
chief  priest  of  the  temple  of  Adi  Buddha  Annando,  her 
brother's  tutor  and  guide.  A  slight  shudder,  and  then  a 
blush  of  shame  passes  over  her  as  she  recognizes  her  early 
religious  teacher.  But  he,  stooping,  gathers  a  handful  of 
flowers,  hands  them  to  her,  and  says :  "  Sadly  and  heavily 
did  my  heart  ache  to  see  thee  in  the  grasp  of  the  strong 
demons  of  the  storm,  and  to  save  thee  I  have  violated  the 
vows  of  my  order.  But  if  thou  wilt  return  to  me  one  of 
these  flowers  as  a  token,  I  will  neither  regret  the  loss  of 
my  sanctity  nor  yet  of  my  priestly  office,  but  rejoice  in 
the  fates  that  have  blessed  me  with  a  new  life." 

To  the  sonorous  rushing  and  wild  dash  of  the  waters 
is  joined  the  deep  melodious  voice  of  the  priest,  urging 
her  to  give  him  a  token  from  Ins  flowers  ;  and  the  chimes 
now  seem  to  swell  into  joyful  choruses  of  jubilant  an- 
thems as  she  gives  him  the  sweet  token. 

After  the  fury  of  the  storm  had  abated,  the  priest  left 
them  and  set  off  to  confess  liimself  to  the  Archbishop  of 
the  Ecclesiastical  Court ;  and  the  women  returned  home. 

The  first  thing  Nang  Rungeah  did  was  to  relate  to  her 
mother  all  that  had  befallen  her  from  the  time  she  entered 
the  chapel  of  Tamseng  to  her  return  home,  she  then 
took  the  "dangerous  book"  from  under  her  pillow  and 
laid  it  on  a  high  shelf  out  of  her  reach,  but  put  in  its 
place  her  crumpled  flowers  Then  she  knelt  down  and 
repeated  her  fifty  paternosters  with  lessening  fervor,  and 
tried  to  believe  that  she  was  a  better  woman.  But  how 
was  it  that  her  thoughts  would  stray  from  the  morrow's 
bright  vision,  when  .-he  would  publicly  be  baptized  into 


220  ROMANCE  OF  THE  HAREM. 

the  Church  of  Christ,  to  the  dark  face  of  Maha  Sap  and 
the  tenderness  she  had  seen  in  Ins  eyes. 

She  shut  herself  up  in  her  chamber  to  weep  and  pray- 
in  agonizing  doubts  and  fears,  because  of  that  something 
which  has  come  between  her  and  her  beautiful  P'hra 
Jesu. 


TO   EVERY    BIRD    ITS    OWN    NEST   IS    CHARMING.       221 


CHAPTEE    XXVIII. 

AD    OGNI  UCCELLO  SUO   NIDO   t   BELLO,  —  "TO   EVERY  BIRD 
ITS   OWN  NEST  IS   CHARMING." 


W 


HEN  Rungeah  awoke  on  the  following  morning,  it 
seemed  to  her  that  she  had  just  thrown  off  some 
wondrous  and  powerful  spell  that  had  somehow  girt  its 
strong  and  mysterious  illusions  about  her  heart.  A  new 
soul  from  within  that  inmost  chamber  had  started  into 
life.  She  faltered,  hesitated,  and  dropped  on  her  knees 
and  raised  her  eyes  towards  heaven,  and  felt  as  she  had 
never  done  before. 

In  her  visions  —  strange  contradiction  of  human  nature 
—  and  in  her  holiest  thoughts  of  the  beloved  Mother  and 
her  Son,  the  face  of  the  priest  of  Buddha  would  intrude. 

Her  prayers  finished,  she  put  on  her  most  faded  and 
meanest  robe,  laid  aside  all  her  customary  adornments  and 
jewels,  save  only  her  veil  and  her  rosary,  and,  attended 
by  a  host  of  fond  relatives  and  slaves,  and  among  them 
the  priest  her  brother,  and  Maha  Sap  in  a  layman's  dress, 
went  her  way  barefooted  to  the  chapel,  where  she  sol- 
emnly recanted  the  errors  of  Buddhism,  and  was  baptized 
into  the  church  of  Christ. 

Again  the  merry  bells  were  rung,  and  on  the  dark  face 
of  the  priest  of  Tamseng  might  be  seen 

"The  slow  wise  smile,  that  round  about 
His  dusty  forehead  dryly  curled, 
Seemed  half  within  and  half  without, 
And  full  of  dealings  with  the  world." 

A  month  after  her  baptism,  Maria,  as  liungeah  was  now 
named,  was  selected,  on  account  of  her  great  piety  and 


222  ROMANCE  OF  THE  HAREM. 

devotion,  to  be  one  of  the  female  wardens  of  the 
chapel. 

This  distinction  she  enjoyed  with  six  other  girls,  whose 
duty  it  was  to  dust  and  sweep  the  chapel,  clean  the  lamps 
and  the  o-old  and  silver  candlesticks,  and  to  dress  the  altar 
with  fresh  flowers.* 

Saturday  was  the  day  appointed  to  Maria  to  serve  in 
the  chapel,  and  a  lovely  warden  was  the  gentle  Cambo- 
dian girl.  She  had  given  up  the  dangerous  book  to  her 
father  confessor.  But  the  handful  of  crumpled  flowers 
still  nestled  under  her  pillow,  and  her  secret  preference 
for  Maha-Sap  was  deeply  hidden  in  her  heart ;  and  yet  it 
proved  an  impenetrable  barrier,  as  long  as  she  lived,  be- 
tween her  and  her  confessor. 

It  was  touching  to  see  this  girl  at  her  duties  in  the 
chapel.  After  the  floor  had  been  swept,  and  the  candle- 
sticks polished  and  replenished  with  fresh  candles,  and 
the  flowers  arranged  in  the  vases  in  the  niches,  and  the 
garlands  hung  over  the  images  of  the  gods  and  the  saints, 
she  would  kneel  at  the  foot  of  the  sad  Christ,  after  having 
touched  with  her  lips  the  nailed  and  bleeding  feet,  pray- 
ing to  him  to  make  her  as  noble  and  as  self-sacrificing 
as  himself,  and  to  the  tender  Mother  to  intercede  for  her 
at  the  throne  of  grace. 

One  Saturday  evening,  Maria,  having  spent  a  comfort- 
less day  within  herself,  repaired  to  the  chapel  as  usual, 
attended  only  by  the  oars-women,  to  open  it  for  the  even- 
ing service.  She  opened  wide  the  doors,  and  sat  herself 
down  under  the  cross.  There  were  rays  of  comfort  ema- 
nating from  that  figure  nailed  on  it  forever,  that  had  now 
become  very  precious  to  her. 

Long  after  the  congregation  had  dispersed,  she  knelt  on 

*  This  is  one  of  the  Buddhist  customs  adopted  by  the  Catholics  for 
the  purpose  of  securing  the  daughters  of  rich  natives  as  servants  of  the 
Church. 


TO   EVERY   BIRD   ITS   OWN   NEST  IS   I'll  A  KM  INC.       223 

the  floor  of  the  sanctuary.  All  the  religion  of  the  place 
and  the  hour  came  over  her,  and  a  strange  yearning  Bor- 
row, for  which  she  could  not  account.  And  as  Bhe  knelt 
there  ahe  fancied  that  a  shadow  darkened  the  lights  that 
streamed  down  from  the  altar  upon  her,  hut  only  fa-  a 
moment,  for  the  next  found  the  shadow  gone,  and  tears 
gathering  in  her  eyes.  "Alas  !  what  is  it  that  steals  my 
thoughts  from  Thee  to  Buddha,  and  the  temple  in  which 
I  once  loved  to  worship  ?"  muttered  the  girl,  conscience- 
stricken  at  her  own  depravity. 

The  chapel  bell  suddenly  "  flung  out  "  the  hour  of  five, 
i.  e.  ten  o'clock.  She  rose  from  her  knees,  put  out  the 
lights,  and,  locking  the  doors,  turned  into  the  dark  de- 
serted street ;  but  somehow  a  sudden  fear  overcame  her, 
and  a  feeling  that  somebody  was  watching  her,  perhaps 
following  her.  She  drew  her  veil  over  her  face  and  ran 
breathlessly  towards  the  river,  where  she  gained  her  boat 
and  returned  home  for  the  nioht. 

The  Roman  Catholic  Missionary  Society  at  Bangkok 
consisted  of  one  bishop  and  from  fifteen  to  twenty  priests, 
besides  a  number  of  proselytes  from  the  Siamese  and  the 
Chinese,  who  also  were  admitted  into  the  priesthood. 
Of  the  former,  most  of  the  priests  were  endowed  with 
every  talent  that  a  strict  collegiate  education  could  fur- 
nish;  bnt  the  latter  were  particularly  useful,  because, 
besides  being  professing  and,  some  of  them,  sincere  Chris- 
tian-, they  possessed  the  power  of  expounding  the  doc- 
trine of  the  Church  to  their  uative  brethren  in  a  lan- 
guage natural  to  themselves  from  their  birth.  Nbl  was 
this  all  :  they  were  nearly  all  well  skilled  in  medicine 
and  surgery,  which  gave  them  more  power  than  the 
French  priests  in  winning  over  the  discontented  follow- 
ers of  the  Buddha  to  lend  a  willing  ear  to  the  marvellous 
farts  of  the  Christian  faith.  And,  moreover,  as  the  teach- 
ings and  ceremonies  of  the  Eoman  Catholic  Church  are 


224  ROMANCE  OF  THE  HAREM. 

in  many  respects  almost  identical  with  the  Buddhist 
teachings  and  ceremonies,  the  Eoman  Catholic  priests  are 
more  successful  in  making  proselytes  than  their  Protes- 
tant colaborers  in  the  same  field. 

When  a  poor  ignorant  Buddhist  goes  into  his  temples 
he  sees  the  images  of  the  Buddha,  and  he  sees  certain 
forms  and  prostrations  practised,  the  burning  of  incense, 
the  bowing  before  the  well-lit  shrines,  and  hears  prayers 
uttered  in  an  unknown  tongue,  and  he  knows  also  that 
the  most  heinous  sin  that  can  be  committed  by  the 
Buddhist  priest  is  the  violation  of  his  oath  of  celibacy. 
And  if  from  idle  curiosity  he  should  be  induced  to  enter 
a  Eoman  Catholic  chapel  or  church,  to  his  surprise  and 
delight  he  observes  not  only  forms  and  ceremonies  very 
nearly  approaching  to  those  used  in  his  own  temple,  but 
also  images  and  pictures  far  more  beautiful  and  attractive 
than  those  of  his  own  gods.  On  inquiring  he  finds  that 
the  priests  of  this  faith  also  do  not  marry,  that  they  have 
the  marvellous  power  to  absolve  the  transgressor  from  the 
consequences  of  his  deadly  sins,  and  that  the  only  thing 
necessary  to  escape  the  irresistible  "  wheel  of  the  law  "  is 
faith  in  Christ.  So  the  poor,  timorous,  trembling  soul, 
that  feels  a  certain  consciousness  of  a  fearful  retribution 
awaiting  his  sins,  and  yet  knows  not  where  or  to  whom 
to  fly,  hails  with  joy  the  name  of  Christ,  the  all-atoning 
sacrifice,  as  a  rock  on  which  to  rest  his  weary  wings,  and 
fears  no  more  the  inexorable  "wheel"  of  the  Divine 
vengeance. 

It  is  not  to  be  wondered  at,  then,  that  the  Siamese, 
Peguans,  and  Cambodians  readily  give  ear  to  the  native 
Catholic  priests,  and  particularly  when  even  the  French 
and  Portuguese  priests  adapt  themselves,  in  many  in- 
stances, to  the  usages  and  customs  of  the  natives  them- 
selves, the  most  striking  of  which  are  in  employing  the 
children   of  the   rich  as  wardens    and   keepers   of   the 


TO   EVERY   BIRD  ITS  OWN    NEST   is   CHARMING.       225 

churches,  and   of  never  wearing  any  covering  on  their 
heads. 

On  the  morning  following  the  night  on  which  Maria 
had  lingered  bo  late  in  the  chapel,  Khoon  Jethamas  had 
risen  at  daybreak  ;  forever  since  the  day  of  the  eventful 
thunder-storm  Bhe  had  troubled  dreams  accompanied  with 
as  and  omens  that  foretold  approaching  calamity  ;  and 
now  she  sat  alone  on  the  doorstep,  meditating  sadly  on 
the  future  of  her  dear  child. 

It  had  been  predicted  by  a  wise  old  man,  in  the  days 
of  Rungeah's  infancy,  that  -  she  was  born  under  the  fatal 
star  Sathimara,  who  would  assume  the  form  of  a  fair  and 
beautiful  angel  to  lead  her  on  to  her  own  destruction." 

The  pagan  mother  could  not  discern  between  the  heav- 
enly and  the  earthly  church  of  Christ,  nor  between  the 
true  and  the  false  ministers  of  the  gospel.  And  now  the 
prophecy  seemed  in  a  way  of  being  fulfilled,  but,  like  all 
prophecies,  in  the  most  unlooked-for  manner. 

Suddenly  the  dark  priest  of  Tamseng  with  a  band  of 
officers  appeared  on  the  gravel  walk.  The  lady  gave  a 
cry  of  alarm  that  brought  nearly  the  whole  household  to 
her  side,  and,  as  the  priest  with  the  officers  persisted  in 
forcing  an  immediate  entrance  into  the  house,  there 
ensued  a  violent  scuffle  between  the  officers  of  the  law 
and  the  slaves  of  Fhagunn. 

"Very  good,"  said  the  padre,  doggedly j  "it  is  certain 
ho*  at  the  chapel  of  Tamseng  lias  been  plundered 

by  Maria*  and  a  vile  pagan  who  was  seen  lurking  in  its 
vicinity  last  night." 

On  hearing  this  the  blood  rushed  violently  to  the 
mother's  temples,  and  she  fell  back  in  a  death-like  swoon. 
P  hagunn  and  his  numerous  attendants  were  also  stupe- 
fied by  horror  and  dismay  at  this  dreadful  accusation  ;  and 
the  officers,  1h.h1.m1  by  the  padre,  proceeded  coolly  to  search 
the  house  for  the  missing  jewels  and  tin.-  -old  "and  silver 
10* 


226  ROMANCE  OF  THE  HAREM. 

candlesticks,  censers,  and  vases  that  had  ornamented  the 
altar  of  the  chapel  of  Tamseng. 

At  last  they  reached  Maria's  chamber.  She  had  just 
risen,  and  was  now  on  her  knees  before  the  open  window. 
The  door  was  burst  open,  and  she  turned,  still  kneeling 
and  holding  her  breath,  her  fixed  and  terrified  gaze  upon 
the  intruders. 

The  chapel  and  the  convent  bells  struck  six.  It  was 
the  hour  when  she  usually  set  out  to  perform  her  small 
round  of  sacred  offices  and  to  open  the  church  doors.  But 
she  had  no  power  to  move.  She  saw  the  padre  dash  aside 
her  pillow  and  then  her  mattress,  and  with  it  her  crum- 
pled flowers.  •  One  of  the  men  came  towards  her  and 
demanded  the  key  of  the  chapel.  But  she  could  not 
open  her  lips  to  speak ;  she  knelt  there  petrified  in  the 
morning  sunlight. 

"  To  think  that  you  should  have  connived  at  such  an 
outrageous  sacrilege  upon  the  altar  of  God ! "  said  the 
padre  ;  and  he  ordered  the  men  to  handcuff  her  and  carry 
her  away  to  the  prison  at  Tamseng. 

She  made  no  resistance,  but  let  them  do  whatever  they 
wished  with  her ;  she  seemed  even  to  have  lost  the  power 
of  comprehension.  She  sees  the  trees,  the  thatched  roofs, 
the  plantations,  the  fields,  the  tapering  spires  of  the 
Temple  of  the  Infinite,  and  a  thousand  small  objects  ;  she 
hears  voices  and  cries  that  would  have  escaped  her  at 
another  time,  as  she  is  dragged  from  the  home  of  her 
parents  to  the  prison  cell  of  the  doomed,  but  she  cannot 
speak,  or  cry,  or  even  think  where  she  put  the  key.  She 
knows  that  her  mother  is  seated  outside  of  the  prison 
door,  wailing  and  crying,  and  protesting  that  her  child  is 
innocent  of  the  dreadful  crime  of  which  she  is  accused ; 
and  this  is  all  that  is  clear  to  the  stricken  girl. 

Twilight  was  falling  just  as  I  was  coming  out  of  the 
palace, — for  I  had  been  detained   there  all  day  help- 


TO  r.vruv   BIRD  its  OWM   NEST  is  i'Hak.ming.      227 

ing  the  secretary  to  despatch  the  royal  mail,  — when 
Khoon  Jethamaa  came  running  up  to  me,  took  both  my 
hands  in  hers,  and  told  me  the  Btoiy  of  her  daughter's 
imprisonment. 

What  was  to  be  done  ?  Tlie  woman  was  frantic  with 
grief,  and  I  was  almost  as  much  confounded  as  she. 

"  Son  must  come  with  me  to-night,  dear  lady,  this  very 
ewiiing.  I  cannot  rest  till  I  get  her  out  of  that  dreadful 
place." 

I  at  last  persuaded  her  to  come  to  my  house  and  take 
a  cup  of  tea,  and  when  I  had  soothed  her  so  that  she 
could  make  herself  intelligible,  I  thought  the  affair  did 
not  look  quite  so  hopeless  as  she  supposed,  and  I  tried 
to  make  her  take  a  more  cheerful  view  of  the  matter. 
The  only  thing  that  seemed  strange  was  that  Maria  could 
give  no  account  of  what  she  had  done  with  the  key  of  the 
chapel  door. 

Whoever  robbed  the  chapel  had  got  possession  of  the 
key.  The  locks  on  the  chapel  were  of  European  manu- 
facture, and  there  were  only  two  keys  that  could  open 
them,  one  in  the  possession  of  the  padre  Tomas,  and  the 
other  in  the  keeping  of  the  young  wardens,  who  trans- 
ferred it  to  the  next  person  on  duty  after  the  morning 
service. 

In  a  short  time  Khoon  Jethamas  and  I  were  rowing 
against  the  tide  for  the  village  of  Tarnseng.  On  croflS- 
qnestioning  the  lady,  I  discovered  that  the  late  priest 
Maha-Sap  had  been  seen  prowling  abont  the  chapel  when 
Rnngeah,  as  the  mother  still  called  her,  was  at  her  devo- 
tions, ami  that  on  the  following  morning  he  was  going 
towards  the  same  spot  when  he  was  taken  prisoner. 

I  confess  that  now  1  began  to  feel  anxious,  for  the  value 
of  the  jewels,  etc.,  that  were  stolen  was  fixed  at  several 
laks  or  millions  of  (deals,  an  incredible  sum  which  no  per- 
son could  pay.     I  hardly  knew  what  to  think. 


228  ROMANCE  OF  THE  HAREM. 

Amid  hopes  and  fears,  and  innumerable  plans,  which 
were  abandoned  as  soon  as  formed  for  new  ones  that 
seemed  equally  impracticable,  we  reached  the  prison  of 
Tamseng. 

What  a  dreadful  spot  it  was  in  the  night-time  !  And 
the  very  darkness  was  aggravated  by  the  people  around, 
who  looked  more  savage  and  fiercer  than  wild  beasts.  Be- 
fore and  behind  and  on  all  sides  there  were  rags  and  filth 
and  wretchedness  crowding  upon  us  with  the  double  dark- 
ness of  night  and  misery.  Some  hideous  women  were 
jailers ;  for  a  few  ticals  and  a  promise  not  to  tell  upon 
them,  they  allowed  us  to  go  in  and  see  the  girl. 

Eungeah  sat  as  one  entranced,  with  her  eyes  fixed  upon 
the  ground,  as  if  she  expected  Jesus  or  the  Mother  to  rise 
up  out  of  it  to  vindicate  her  cause.  We  could  not  get 
her  to  say  a  word,  to  utter  a  cry  or  even  a  moan.  We 
were  almost  as  much  overwhelmed  at  her  grief  as  she 
was  by  the  padre's  accusation. 

What  was  to  be  done  ? 

Leaving  Eungeah,  we  set  off  for  the  convent  of  Tam- 
seng. 

The  clock  had  long  before  struck  eight,  when  we  came 
to  the  convent  gate,  and  we  were  full  of  hope.  But  no 
light  was  to  be  seen,  and  a  high  wooden  fence  ran  all 
round  the  house.  Groping  our  way,  we  came  to  a  gate  at 
last,  but  it  was  locked.  We  began  to  knock,  and  we 
knocked  loudly  for  a  quarter  of  an  hour,  and  then  we 
waited  to  see  if  any  one  would  come  to  open  it.  No  one 
came.  We  were  uncertain  what  to  do,  the  night  came  on 
full  of  clouds,  clothing  with  darkness  even  the  star-filled 
depths.  The  convent  clock  struck  nine,  and  the  thought 
of  poor  Eungeah  struggling  with  her  anguish  came  with 
redoubled  force  upon  the  mother's  heart,  and  again  we 
both  knocked  together  more  and  more  loudly.  At  length 
lights  appeared  amid  the  gloom,  and  three  women  with 


TO   i:\T.KY    UIRD   ITS   OWN   NEST  IS   CHABIGNQ.       229 

lanterns  approached  and  demanded  who  we  were  and 
what  we  wanted  On  hearing  that  I  was  a  Christian 
woman,  they  opened  the  gate,  and  after  surveying  us 
carefully,  passing  their  lanterns  up  and  down  our  persons 
from  head  to  foot,  they  led  the  way  to  the  apartments  of 
the  Lady  Abbess.  When  we  entered,  we  found  a  morose- 
looking  old  lady  of  Portuguese  descent  seated  on  a  tall 
high-hacked  chair,  with  nine  or  ten  young  women,  mostly 
Siamese,  sewing  scapulars.  All  round  the  room  were 
dreadful  pictures  of  the  Christ  and  the  Mother  in  all 
kinds  of  agonizing  attitudes. 

We  proceeded  to  make  our  business  known,  which  was 
only  to  go  bail  for  Rungeah  until  the  trial  should  come 
oil',  and  to  ask  the  Abbess's  influence  with  the  padre 
Tomas  in  urging  our  request. 

The  old  lady  coolly  replied  that  it  was  her  duty  to 
wait  upon  the  Lord  Jesus,  and  not  to  rush  about  the 
country,  as  some  folks  did,  intermeddling  with  other  peo- 
ple's business. 

We  left  her  with  clouded  hearts,  and  set  out  for  the 
house  of  the  padre.  As  we  were  women,  which  we  in 
our  distress  of  mind  had  quite  forgotten,  the  servants 
or  slaves  of  this  holy  individual  drove  us  from  the  door- 
step with  scorn  and  contemptuous  language  for  our  in- 
delicacy in  going  there  at  all. 

We  then,  but  less  hopefully,  turned  our  almost  fainting 
steps  to  the  house  of  the  Governor  P'haya  Visate.  Khoon 
Jethamas  was  afraid  to  enter,  but  I  was  not  going  away 
without  seeing  him.  I  climbed  the  Bteps  and  entered  the 
veranda  ;  two  slaws  went  before  to  report  our  arrival.  I 
saw  tlic  great  man  seated  on  a  cushion  in  a  room  adjoining; 
with  women  and  men  crouching  in  all  sorts  of  abject  atti- 
tudes before  him.  I  walked  in,  ready,  at  the  mother's 
request,  to  double  and  treble  tin'  bail  if  necessary.  As 
soon  as  he  saw  me  approaching,  the  governor  rose,  retired 


230  ROMANCE  OF  THE  HAREM. 

to  his  bedchamber,  and  shut  the  door  violently  in  my 
face. 

I  came  away  completely  cast  down  and  defeated ;  as 
for  the  poor  mother,  she  wrung  her  hands  and  wept 
piteously.  It  was  now  nearly  eleven  o'clock,  and  we 
went  back  to  the  prison.  The  unhappy  Khoon  Jethamas 
took  up  her  abode  near  the  only  window  of  the  cell  where 
her  daughter  was  immured.  I  left  her  sitting  on  a  strip 
of  matting,  with  her  hands  over  her  face,  shutting  out  the 
outer  darkness,  in  order  to  realize  the  utter  darkness  that 
had  fallen  upon  her  life  and  upon  the  light  of  her  home. 

Nights  and  days  succeeded  each  other  in  regular  suc- 
cession, and  day  after  day  I  went  to  the  prison  to  find 
the  patient,  loving  mother  riving  under  the  shadow  of 
its  roof,  so  as  to  be  ever  near  her  child,  and  once  a  day 
she  was  admitted  to  see  her  loved  one  visibly  wasting 
away.  The  only  change  that  had  taken  place  in  the  pris- 
oner, that  was  hopeful,  was,  that  now  it  was  she  who 
comforted  her  mother  every  day,  by  relating  to  her  her 
bright  visions,  and  assuring  her  that  she  felt  the  time 
was  not  far  distant  when  the  Mother  and  her  Son  would 
come  down  from  heaven  to  proclaim  her  innocence ;  that 
the  holy  angels  descended  at  night  to  bless  and  comfort 
her  with  loving  promises  of  speedy  justice,  and  that  now 
the  prison-house  had  been  transformed  by  them  into  a 
paradise. 

There  are  mysteries  in  all  religions,  which  the  unini- 
tiated cannot  penetrate,  and  we  stood  abashed  and  silent 
on  the  other  side  of  the  veil  that  was  lifted  for  the  spirit- 
ual consolation  of  this  strange  girl. 

The  burning  July  sun  shone  daily  on  the  tiled  roof  of 
the  prison  of  Tamseng.  The  ground  on  one  side  was  full 
of  muddy  pools,  and  the  river  on  the  other  was  the  cess- 
pool of  the  village,  —  a  liquid  mass  of  poison  from  which 
rose  the  pestilence  and  the  cholera  that  brooded  with  their 


TO  EVERY   BIRD    lis   <>WN    NEST   18   CHARMING.       231 


deathlike  wings  over  the  inhabitants  of  Tamseng.    The 

evening  air  was  either  heavy  with  noxious  vapors  or  it 

came  in  fitful  burning  gusts  across  the  river,  and  brought 

Ti..  balm  t<»  tlif  Buffering  prisoners  within, 

Rungeah  Languished  day  after  day,  for  the  ease  was  to 

he  tried  before  the  International  Court  of  Siam,  and  the 

days  ami  (lie  weeks  ami  tin-  months  passed  away  like 

"A  stream  whose  waters  scarcely  Mem  to  stray, 
And  yet  they  glide  like  happiness  away." 

With  them  poor  ramgeah's  bright  iaitli  began  to  grow 
dim,  and  her  nightly  prayers  to  the  Mother  and  her 
holy  Son  were  less  and  less  hopeful,  but  yet  she  still 
strove  with  each  returning  day  to  revive  her  drooping 
spirits,  and  with  sweet  self-deceit  "  to  paint  elysium" 
upon  the  darkness  of  her  prison-walls. 

The  mother  bribed  the  jailers  to  take  to  her  daughter 
some  little  delicacies  every  day,  for  the  coarse  prison  food 
disgusted  the  girl,  and  she  was  gradually  being  starved 
to  death ;  and  now  a  low  cough  and  a  hectic  fever  had 
set  in. 

The  judicial  courts  of  Siam,  one  and  all  included,  were 
neither  better  nor  worse  than  that  of  other  Oriental  and 
despotic  kingdoms  ;  and  the  judges  of  the  outer  city,  with 
the  exception,  as  far  as  I  know,  of  only  one  man,  his 
Highness  Mom  Kratai  Rajoday,  were  very  far  from  being 
mode]  judges.  They  aimed  no  higher  than  the  traditional 
policy  of  the  empire,  "the  good  old  rule''  that  "might 
make-  right,"  which  had  guided  the  rulers  of  Siam  ever 
since  Siam  began  t<>  exist  a-  a  kingdom  and  a  nation;  so 
that  everybody  preyed  upon  his  weaker  neighbor,  and 
everybody  was  obliged  \<>  suffer,  without  hope  of  redress, 
the  wrongs  which  one  stronger  than  himself  could  inflict 

Meanwhile  the  mother  grew  more  and  more  impatient 
for  her  daughter's  trial,  which  seemed  to  her  as  if  pur- 
posely delayed,  and  in  an  unguarded  moment  she  accused 


232  ROMANCE  OF  THE  HAREM. 

the  padre  Tomas  of  having  secreted  the  jewels  and  orna- 
ments of  the  altar  of  Tamseng,  and  of  having  made  a  false 
accusation  against  her  daughter  for  the  sole  purpose  of 
laying  claim  to  her  estate.  The  padre  became  exasper- 
ated and  brought  a  charge  of  libel  against  the  mother; 
and  poor  Eungeah  was  *nore  and  more  hopelessly  a  pris- 
oner. 

The  timid  P'hagunn  shut  himself  up  in  his  house,  and 
left  it  to  his  brave  wife  to  threaten  the  Christian  officials, 
and  to  haunt  the  courts  with  her  complaints,  expending 
large  sums  of  money,  but  without  result. 

At  length,  as  Eungeah  was  really  very  ill,  and  I  feared 
she  would  die,  I  accompanied  Khoon  Jethamas  on  a  pri- 
vate visit  to  his  Highness  Mom  Kratai  Eajoday,  the  chief 
judge  of  the  International  Court,  taking  with  me  a  pri- 
vate letter  from'  the  king,  which  simply  stated  that  I 
wished  to  be  made  personally  acquainted  with  him. 

The  judge  received  us  very  cordially  indeed,  and  the 
unhappy  Jethamas  threw  herself  at  his  feet,  and  with 
tears  and  sobs  implored  of  him  to  hasten  the  trial  of  her 
child,  which  he  most  kindly  promised  to  do. 

It  was  now  December,  and  three  days  after  our  visit  to 
the  chief,  judge  the  trial  came  on. 

I  could  not  attend  on  the  two  first  days,  but  on  Satur- 
day, the  10th  of  December,  1864,  I  accompanied  Khoon 
Jethamas  and  the  feeble  and  wasted  Eungeah  to  the 
court,  where  I  was  rejoiced  to  see  his  Highness  Mom 
Kratai  Eajoday  presiding  in  person.  All  the  prelimina- 
ries had  been  gone  through  with  on  the  two  previous  days. 
The  court-house  was  crammed  with  native  Christians, 
Buddhists,  and  Cambodians,  so  that  there  was  not  even 
standing  room  to  be  had  anywhere. 

After  going  through  a  great  many  forms  and  ceremo- 
nies, such  as  laying  the  right  hand  on  a. branch  of  the 
boh-tree,  and  thence  on  his   left  side,  and   taking   the 


TO  EVERY   BIRD   ITS   OWH   NEST  IS  cilAKMlNC. 

Buddhist's  oath,  Maha-Sap'a  innocence  was  dearly  pi 
lie  i  however,  that  he  waa  in  the  habit  of  re- 

pairing to  the  chapel  morning  and  evening,  but  that  his 
sole  motive  was  to  be  near  by  to  protect  Rungeah  from 
any  danger  that  might  threaten  her. 

The  judge  then  turned  and  asked  Rungeah  to  relate 
again  all  that  she  had  done  "ii  ih<-  night  of  the  rob- 
bery. 

All  her  natural  grace  of  feature,  all  her  excellence 
mind  and  soul,  shone  out  as  she  calmly  repeated  her  story; 
the  only  thing  she  could  not  account  for  was  where  die 
had  dropped  the  key.  "But,"  said  she,  "my  soul  and  my 
conscience  acquit  me  of  this  sin.  How  then  shall  I  plead 
guilty  t<  >  that  which  I  have  not  dune  ?  Will  it  not  be 
accounted  a  sin  against  myself  by  P'lira  Jesu  and  his 
Holy  Mother  in  heaven  ?  " 

The  beating  hearts  of  the  crowd  were  suspended  in 
breathless  expectation;  some  being  interested  for  and 
some  against  the  prisoners.  The  next  moment  the  judge 
declared  that  Eungeah  and  Maha-Sap  had  been  impris- 
oned on  insufficient  grounds;  that  their  innocence  was 
quite  apparent,  even  without  or  rather  before  the  trial, 
and  that  the  case  was  dismissed. 

Scarcely  were  these  words  articulated,  when  a  shout 
like  that  of  a  great  hurricane  broke  from  the  excited 
masses  of  the  people;  the  boarded  floor  seemed  to  thrill 
and  ripple  as  with  the  throes  of  an  earthquake,  and  the 
crowd  staggered  to  and  fro  as  if  inebriated  with  the  sud- 
den paroxysm  of  joy.  It  was  to  them  not  so  much  the 
cause  of  a  young  and  beautiful  Cambodian  lady  of  high 
rank,  as  the  cause  of  Buddhism  against  Roman  Catholi- 
cism. 

I  was  stunned  with  their  deafening  roar.  But  poor 
Rungeah  was  too  feeble  to  bear  the  sudden  and  over- 
whelming joy  of   her  acquittal  ;    an  exclamation  of   the 


234  ROMANCE  OF  THE  HAREM. 

wildest  delight  broke  from  her  pale  lips,  and  she  fell  back 
insensible. 

The  excited  crowd  unable  to  master  their  now  as 
sudden  agony  at  the  sight  of  the  apparently  lifeless  girl, 
were  hushed,  and  a  lull  as  profound  as  death  succeeded. 
They  bore  her  to  the  boat  and  laid  her  down  in  it,  and 
her  mother  implored  me  to  go  home  with  them.  In  the 
fresh  air,  as  we  rowed  slowly  along,  the  girl  soon  revived, 
and,  putting  out  her  arms,  drew  her  mother  down  to  her, 
and  held  her  firmly  to  her  breast. 

Maha-Sap,  her  brother,  both  noble-looking  men,  and  a 
crowd  of  people,  followed  in  another  boat. 

As  we  approached  the  temple  of  Adi  Buddha  Armando, 
Eungeah  whispered  to  her  mother  to  take  her  in  there  to 
rest ;  that  she  was  weary,  and  that  it  would  comfort  her 
to  enter  its  sacred  precincts  once  more. 

The  sun  is  near  his  setting,  and  broad  lights  and  shad- 
ows are  lying  upon  and  veiling  the  grand  proportions  of 
the  temple  of  the  "  Infinite." 

Now  the  boats  are  fastened  to  the  pier,  and  a  little 
group  follows  the  women  who  are  bearing  the  form  of 
Eungeah  into  the  temple.  , 

It  is  the  hour  of  the  Buddhists'  evening  prayer.  They 
bring  a  small  mat,  and  she  is  laid  in  the  middle  of  the 
temple,  while  the  bonzes  are  seated  on  either  side,  wait- 
ing for  the  high-priest  to  open  the  vesper  service. 

During  the  service  the  girl  lies  there  with  her  eyes 
closed. 

Sunshine  is  reflected  in  wonderful  glory  from  the  head 
of  the  great  silver  image  of  the  Adi  Buddh.  Sunshine  is 
flooding  the  temple,  glorifying  the  stolid  idols  that  are 
standing  around,  and  streaming  on  the  floor  and  over  the 
quiet  figure  of  the  girl.  Her  face  assumes  an  ashy  hue, 
and  she  again  puts  out  her  arms  and  draws  her  mother 
down  to  her. 


TO    EVERY   BIRD    ITS    u\V.\    NEST   IS    <  HAK.MLV ;.        235 

"0  motheiy pray  to  th€  Virgin  Mother  for  me,"  says 
the  girl,  "  to  tell  P'hra  Jesu  that  I  am  innocent." 

The  pagan  mother  makes  no  reply,  but  bends  an  agonized 
look  "ii  her  dear  child's  lace,  and  the  girl's  face  becomes 

grayer  in  the  floods  of  sunlight.     Her  fingers  twitch  and 
quiver  around  her  mother's  neck. 

The  priests  arc,  hushed,  and  the  temple  is  more  and 
more  flooded  with  light;  and  the  faint,  sweet,  pleading 
voice  of  the  girl  is  again  heard:  "Mother,  dear  mother, 
pray  to  Fhra  Jesu  that  he  shut  not  the  heavenly  gates 
upon  me";  and  the  strong  love  of  the  mother  conquers 
her  religious  scruples,  and,  lying  there  with  her  head 
cushioned  on  the  bosom  of  her  dying  child,  she  raises  her 
voice  and  prays  :  — 

"  0  thou  who  art  called  P'hra  Jesu,  free  my  child  from 
sin.  0  forgive  her,  sacred  One.  She  has  loved  thee  to 
the  last.  She  believes  in  none  but  thee.  Be  thou  her 
God,  and  shut  not,  0  shut  not  thy  heavenly  gates  upon 
her,  even  though  they  shut  her  out  forever  from  my  sor- 
rowing heart  and  eyes." 

At  the  utterance  of  those  strange  syllables  falling  from 
the  lips  of  a  Buddhist  mother  in  the  most  solemn  of  the 
temples  of  the  Buddha,  a  marvellous  change  passed  over 
the  face  of  the  dying  girl;  the  gray  pallor  of  death  gave 
place  to  a  heavenly  light,  and  a  faint  hut  lovely  smile 
irradiated  her  pale  lips.  She  opened  her  eyes  and  ■_ 
enraptured  upon  some  vision  that  seemed  to  float  before 
her.  "  0  mother,  mother/'  cried  the  exulting  voice  of  the 
girl,  " I  see  P'hra  Jesu  and  Tina  Buddha;  Ph'ra  Jesu  is 
above  and  Fhra  Buddha  is  below,  and  the  two  mothers, 
Marie  and  Maia*  are  sitting  Bide  by  side,  and  they  are 
all  smiling  and  calling  me  upward,  upward."  And  Pain- 
geah  stretched  out  her  arms  and  closed  her  eyes,  the 
gray  pallor  returned  ;  her  spirit  fluttered  for  a  moment, 

*  One  of  the  names  of  the  mother  of  the  Buddha. 


236  ROMANCE  OF  THE  HAEEM. 

and  then  was  gone  forever.  But  the  smile  never  left  her 
lips. 

She  was  buried  with  the  rites  of  the  Eoman  Catholic 
Church,  with  her  rosary  and  the  golden  image  of  Christ 
on  her  bosom,  by  a  French  priest  from  the  other  side  of 
the  village  of  Tamseng. 

Two  years  after,  a  man  was  taken  in  the  act  of  plun- 
dering the  jewels  of  a  princess  of  Siam,  as  she  was  trav- 
elling in  her  boat  to  Ayudia,  and  on  his  trial  he  con- 
fessed that  he  was  a  Christian,  that  he  had  been  betrothed 
to  Eungeah's  sister,  whom  he  had  murdered  for  the  sake 
of  her  jewels,  and  then  fled  to  Ayudia,  whence  having  gam- 
bled away  all  the  proceeds-  of  his  spoils,  he  once  more  re- 
turned to  Bangkok  and  robbed  the  chapel  of  Tamseng.  He 
offered  to  deliver  up  the  jewels,  etc.,  if  his  life  should  be 
spared.  His  request  was  granted,  but  he  was  condemned 
to  lifelong  imprisonment,  while  the  crown  and  the  diadem 
are  once  more  to  be  seen  on  the  brows  of  the  figure  of 
the  Christ  and  the  Virgin  Mary,  and  the  gold  and  silver 
candlesticks  again  light  up  the  altar  of  the  little  chapel 
of  Tamseng. 


STIiAY  LEAVES  FROM  TIIE  EOYAL  SCHOOL-ROOM  TABLE.    237 


CHAPTER   XXIX. 

STRAY  LEAVES  FROM  THE  ROYAL  SCHOOL-ROOM  TABLE. 

THE  three  temples  around  which  the  city  of  the  (Tang 
Harm  had  taken  root  and  gradually  grown  to  its 
present  dimensions  were  especially  remarkable.  The 
one  in  which  I  taught,  Watt  Khoon  Chom  Manda  Thai, 
—  Temple  of  the  Mothers  of  the  Free,  —  was  formerly 
dedicated  to  the  mother  of  the  Buddha,  as  its  ancient 
name  Manda  Maia  Goudainana  clearly  shows;  and  the 
other  Was  dedicated  to  the  "  Buddha  Thapinya,"  Buddha 
the  Omniscient,  and  the  third  and  most  beautiful  to  the 
"Buddha  Annando,"*  Buddha  the  Infinite,  —  all  names 
from  the  Pali.  The  general  effect  of  each  of  these  build- 
ings is  that  of  some  great  church  in  the  southern  part  of 
Europe.  The  basement  story  is  a  square  mass  of  al  »<  rat  tw<  i 
hundred  feet  on  each  side,  with  double  rows  of  windows 
flanked  by  pilasters  and  crowned  with  a  curious  flam- 
boyant spiral  canopy,  in  what  may  be  called  the  French- 
Gothic  style.  These  pilasters  and  this  canopy  are  the 
two  most  marked  and  universal  features  in  the  Buddhist 
architecture;  at  the  middle  of  each  side  of  the  basement 
rises  a  lofty  porch  or  ante-hall,  terminating  in  an  immense 
gabled  facade,  pilastered  and  canopied  like  the  windows. 
These  halls  or  vestibules  convert  the  temple  into  a  vast 
Greek  cross.  Over  the  basement  rise  a  number  of  dimin- 
ishing terraces  with   small  pagodas  at  the  angles,  the 

*  I  would  here  remark  that  all  intelligent  Buddhists  make  a  v.ry 
marked  distinction  between  the  Buddha  and  the  Bnddh.  Buddh,  or  as 
he  is  sometimes  called,  Adi  Buddha,  is  the  Supreme  Intelligence,  from 
whom  Buddha  is  only  an  emanation,  has  existed  from  all  eternity. 


238  ROMANCE  OF  THE  HAREM. 

whole  culminating  in  a  pyramidal  steeple  like  the  Hindoo 
shivala;  and  lastly  the  steeple  itself  is  crowned  with  a 
chayatree,  or  tapering  umbrella  of  gilt  iron- work,  rising  to 
nearly  two  hundred  feet  from  the  ground. 

The  interior  consists  of  two  great  concentric  corridors 
with  large  recesses  for  the  images.  Most  of  the  images 
are  standing  figures ;  the  Buddha  alone  is  either  seated  or 
reclining,  in  various  attitudes  of  benediction,  or  preach- 
ing on  elevated  lotus-shaped  pedestals.  The  vaulted  cells 
in  which  the  Buddha  is  seated  reach  up  to  the  second  and 
sometimes  to  the  third  terrace,  and  from  a  small  window 
in  the  roof  there  streams  a  flood  of  sunlight  downwards 
on  the  head  and  shoulders  of  the  colossus,  with  wonderful 
effect. 

There  is  great  uncertainty  about  the  dates  and  builders 
of  these  three  temples,  and  I  know  nothing  more  inter- 
esting and  beautiful  than  the  legend  which  is  attached  to 
the  spot  on  which  they  stand.  In  the  Siamese  annals, 
however,  it  is  stated  that  these  temples  have  stood  here 
for  nearly  twelve  hundred  years,  embedded  in  what  was 
once  a  sacred  grove  of  olive,  palm,  and  boh  trees,  before 
Bangkok  was  ever  settled,  and  in  the  palmy  days  of  the 
ancient  and  beautiful  city  of  Ayodhya  or  Ayudia;  that 
they  then  attracted  pilgrims  from  all  parts  of  the  world, 
particularly  women,  who  came  to  perform  vows  or  to  offer 
votive  sacrifices  at  their  shrines. 

It  was  P'hra  P'huthi  Chow  L'huang,  a  usurper,  who, 
in  order  to  establish  more  securely  his  throne,  selected  the 
vicinity  of  these  triad  temples  as  the  seat  of  government, 
removed  his  palace  from  the  west  to  the  east  bank  of  the 
Meinam,  founded  a  city,  surrounded  it  with  triple  walls, 
and  called  it  the  abode  of  the  beautiful  and  invincible 
archangel. 

As  often  as  I  sat  in  the  porches  of  these  temples,  the 
chanted  prayers   of    the    worshippers    boomed   through 


stkav  LEAVES  FEOM  THE  BOTAL  BCHOOL-BOOM  TABLE.  239 

the  aisles  and  inspired  me  with  feelings  of  the  di 

ilfvutiiiii  ;  and  whenever  1  passed  along  the  dim,  silent 
corridors,  and  oame  unexpectedly  m  front  of  one  of  the  great 
golden  images  with  its  folded  anus  and  drooping  eyelids, 
looking  down  upon  me  in  monitory  sadness,  with  the  wis- 
dom of  ages  stamped  upon  its  brow,  amid  the  gloom  of  a 
never-ending  twilight,  while  the  head  and  shoulders  were 
illuminated  by  a  halo  of  light  from  the  unseen  source 
above,  the  effect  was  strangely  mystical,  solemn,  and  pro- 
found. 

The  character  of  these  buildings  I  do  not  exaggerate  in 
calling  them  sublime;  they  prove  unmistakably  that  the 
architect,  whoever  he  was, 

"Wrought  in  a  sad  sincerity  ; 
Himself  from  God  he  could  not  free  ; 
He  builded  better  than  he  knew  : 
The  conscious  stone  to  beauty  grew." 

This  impression  was  deepened  every  time  I  visited  them, 
and,  though  I  knew  every  inch  of  the  temples  and  their 
surroundings,  the  meanings  of  some  of  the  symbols  re- 
mained mysterious  and  incomprehensible.  If  I  succeeded 
in  unravelling  one  portion,  the  remainder  was  lost  in  in- 
extricable perplexity  and  doubt. 

My  pupils  in  that  wonderful  city  numbered  from  twen- 
ty to  twenty-five  boys  and  girls,  the  ioveliesl  and  most 
remarkable  of  whom  were  the  heir-apparent,  the  Prince 
Somdetch  P'hra  Paramendr Maha  Chuklonkorn,  his  youn- 
ger sister,  the  little  fairy-like  creature  Fa  Ying,*the  Prin- 
cesses Wanee,  Ying-You  Wahlacks,  Somawati,  the  Prince 
Ereta-Bhinniharn,  the  only  son  of  Bidden-Perfume,  Phra 
Ong  DwithwaHabh,  and  Kabkranockratin,  the  sons  of  the 
child-wife;  and  in  addition  to  these  were  several  gentle- 
women of  the  harem. 

We  always  began  school  immediately  after  the  Buddh- 

*  See  "English  Governess  at  the  Siamese  Court,"  Chap.  XIII.  p.  116. 


240  ROMANCE  OF  THE  HAREM. 

ists'  morning  service,  which  I  was  obliged  to  attend,  so 
as  to  muster  my  pupils  together  in  good  order,  and  which 
was  held  precisely  at  nine  o'clock  in  the  temple  of  the 
Chom  Manda  Thai.  The  long  inlaid  and  richly  gilt  ta- 
ble on  which  we  pursued  our  studies  day  after  day  was 
the  same  on  which  had  been  laid  every  morning  for  hun- 
dreds of  years  offerings  to  the  priests  of  Buddha,  and 
whereon  stood  the  bronze  censers  and  the  golden  vases 
from  which  ascended  clouds  of  fragrant  incense  amid  the 
perfume  of  still  more  fragrant  flowers,  while  the  brilliant 
colors  of  the  silks,  satins,  diamonds,  and  jewels  that  adorned 
the  regal  worshippers  relieved  the  gloom. 

The  studies  that  took  the  most  absolute  possession  of 
the  fervid  Eastern  imaginations  of  my  pupils  were  geog- 
raphy and  astronomy.  But  each  had  his  or  her  own  idea 
about  the  form  of  the  earth,  and  it  needed  no  small  amount 
of  patient  repetition  to  convince  them  that  it  was  neither 
flat  nor  square,  but  round. 

The  only  map  —  and  a  very  ancient  one  it  was  —  which 
they  had  ever  seen  was  one  drawn  and  painted  about  a 
century  before,  by  a  Siamese  who  was  thought  to  possess 
great  scientific  and  literary  attainments. 

This  map  was  five  feet  long  by  three  wide ;  in  the  cen- 
tre was  a  great  patch  of  red,  and  above  it  a  small  patch 
of  green.  On  the  part  painted  red  —  which  was  intended 
to  represent  Siam  —  was  pasted  a  comical-looking  human 
figure,  cut  out  of  silver  paper,  with  a  huge  pitchfork  in 
one  hand  and  an  orange  in  the  other.  There  was  a  crown 
on  the  head  and  spurs  on  the  heels,  and  the  sun  was  shin- 
ing over  all.  The  legs,  which  were  of  miserably  thin  di- 
mensions, met  sympathetically  at  the  knees.  And  this 
cadaverous-looking  creature  was  meant  for  the  king  of 
Siam,  —  indicating  that  so  vast  were  his  strength  and 
power  they  extended  from  one  end  of  his  dominions  to 
the  other.     In  the  little  patch  of  green,  intended  to  rep- 


BIAM 


sikav  LEAVES  ]'1:«>M  THE  ROYAL  BCHOOL-ROOM  TABLE.  241 

resent  Birmah,  was  a  small  Indian-ink  figure,  consisting 
of  a  little  dot  for  the  body,  another  smaller  one  for  the 
head,  and  four  scratches  of  the  pen  for  the  Legs  and  arms; 
this  was  meant  for  the  king  of  Birmah.    A  Legion  of  Little 

imp-,  in  many  grotesque  attitudes,  were  seen  dancing  about 
his  dominions ;  and  these  almost  unintelligible  bierogh  ph- 
ics  were  to  show  to  the  uninitiated  in  what  a  disturbed 
state  the  Birman  Empire  was,  and  what  an  insignificant 
personage  in  his  own  dominions  was  the  king  of  that 
country.  On  the  north  side  of  the  green  patch  was 
painted  a  huge  Englishman,  sporting  a  cocked  hat  with 
red  feathers,  clasping  in  his  arms  what  was  meant  for  a 
vast  tract  of  land.  This  was  marked  as  British  Birmah, 
and  the  Englishman  was  Lord  Clive,  holding  on  to  it.  The 
rest  of  the  map  was  all  blue,  and  all  around  the  Siamese 
territories  richly  painted  and  heavily  freighted  ships  were 
sailing  to  and  fro.  But  the  poor  Birmese  monarch  had 
not  a  boat  to  display.  My  simple  pupils  knew  just  so 
much  as  this  map  taught  them,  and  no  more.  Birmah  on 
the  north,  and  Siam  on  the  south,  and  the  sea  all  around, 

—  this  was  the  world  to  them. 

But  of  their  celestial  geography  they  could  tell  me  a 
host  of  interesting  particulars,  all  of  which  they  would 
relate  with  the  accuracy  and  picturesque  vividness  of  a 
fairy  tale ;  and  whenever  a  dispute  arose  as  to  the  height 
of  some  of  the  mountains  or  the  depth  or  breadth  of 
the  oceans  in  the  celestial  worlds,  they  would  at  once 
refer  to  a  Siamese  book,  called  "Tri  Loke  Winit  Chai," 

—  a  book  which  settles  all  questions  about  the  three 
worlds,  of  angels,  of  demons,  and  of  gods,  —  .and  find 
therein  a  satisfactory  solution  of  their  difficulties.  In 
their  celestial  chronology  they  were  all  equally  will 
grounded.  A  little  fellow  of  nine  years  old,  when  speak- 
ing of  "time,"  stood  upright  in  his  chair  and  informed  me 
that  he  was  "time."     His  name  signified  a  period  of  time 

11  p 


242  ROMANCE  OF  THE  HAREM. 

appointed  for  the  creation  or  the  destruction  of  a  world. 
He  then  proceeded  to  tell  me  with  wonderful  clearness  for 
one  so  young,  "  that  the  first  time,  or  Kap,  is  reckoned  by 
the  Siamese  from  the  appearance  of  a  certain  cloud  called 
god-thirst,  which  was  the  harbinger  of  a  creative  rain,  and 
Avhich  brought  into  existence  the  worlds  and  their  attend- 
ant suns  and  moons ;  that  the  second  Kap,  or  time,  is  the 
period  between  the  creation  of  these  worlds  and  the  coming 
of  another  great  cloud  denominated  the  dissolving  cloud, 
arid  which  is  the  third  Kap  and  the  forerunner  of  the  dis- 
solution of  the  worlds ;  and  the  fourth  Kap  is  the  period 
when  matter  remains  in  a  chaotic  mass,  waiting  for  the 
generative  cloud,  — -  god-thirst,  —  which  again  pours  forth 
the  creative  rain,  and  life  once  more  springs  into  being. 
These  four  periods  added  together  make  a  Maha-Kap." 

When  I  pressed  him  to  state  the  number  of  years  con- 
tained in  a  Maha-Kap,  he  became  indignant,  and  replied, 
"  that  as  the  length  of  a  single  Kap  could  not  be  com- 
puted by  the  gods  themselves,  it  was  unreasonable  for  me 
to  suppose  that  he  could  give  me  any  correct  estimate  of 
their  actual  duration." 

I  soon  found  that  my  pupils  were  in  some  respects 
much  wiser  than  I,  and  thenceforth  we  exchanged 
thoughts  and  ideas.  I  gave  them  sound  realities  in  re- 
turn for  their  poetic  illusions  and  chimeras,  which  had 
for  me  a  certain  charm  and  a  great  deal  of  odd  reason- 
ableness, for  it  was  their  way  of  explaining  the  incom- 
prehensible. 

When  a  large  English  map  and  globes  of  the  celestial 
and  terrestrial  spheres  arrived,  they  created  quite  a  sensa- 
tion in  the  ancient  temple  of  the  "  Mothers  of  the  Free." 
His  Majesty  caused  the  map  to  be  set  in  a  massive  gold 
frame,  and  placed  it  with  the  globes  on  ponderously  gilt 
supporters  in  the  very  middle  of  the  temple,  and  for  nine 
days  crowds  of  women  came  to  be  instructed  in  the  sci- 


STRAY  LEAVES  FROM  THE  BOYAL  SCHOOL-ROOM  TABLE.  243 

» 

graphy  and  astronomy,  so  that  1  found  my 
hands  quite  full.  It  was  hard  for  them  to  see  Siam  re- 
duced to  a  mere  speck  on  the  great  globe,  but  there  was 
some  consolation  in  the  fact  thai  England  occupied  even 

a  smaller  -pace.  After  the  first  excitement  had  worn  off, 
my  pupils  began  to  enjoy  their  lessons;  they  would  clus- 
ter round  the  globes,  delighted  with  the  novel  idea  of  a 
world  revolving  in  space,  and  some  of  them  were  as  keen 
as  any  Arctic  explorer  for  the  discovery  of  the  North 
Pole,  where  they  could  some  day  sit  astride,  as  they 
thought,  with  perfect  ease  and  security,  and  satisfy  their 
doubts  about  the  form  and  the  revolution  of  the  earth 

I  found  them  always  full  of  eager  inquiry,  unlike  mosl 
Western  children,  about  the  sun  and  moon  and  stars;  but 
they  preferred  to  have  them  peopled  with  demons,  ghosts, 
and  hobgoblins,  rather  than  to  have  them  uninhabited. 

On  one  occasion,  when  I  informed  them  that  the  moon 
was  supposed  to  be  uninhabited,  all  the  little  eager  faces 
were  clouded,  and  their  interest  flagged,  and  little  Wanee 
declared,  "that  for  her  part  she  wTas  convinced  that  the 
moon  was  the  beautiful  daughter  of  a  great  king  of  Ayu- 
dia,  who  lived  many  thousands  of  years  ago,  and  the  head 
wife  of  the  sun,  and  not  a  great  stupid  ball  of  earth  and 
rock  rolling  about  in  the  sky  to  no  purpose  but  for  the 
sun  to  shine  upon." 

One  day  the  steamer  "Chow  Phaya"  brought  his  Maj- 
esty a  box  of  ice  from  Singapore,  and  I  obtained  some 
for  an  object-lesson.  The  women  and  children  found  do 
difficulty  in  believing  thai  it  was  water  frozen  ;  but  when 
1  went  to  tell  them  about  snow,  the  whole  school  became 
indignant  at  what  they  considered  an  evident  stretch  of 
my  imagination,  and  my  dear  simple  Mend,  Bidden-Per- 
fume,  laid  her  hand  gently  upon  my  arm,  and  said, 
"Please  do  not  say  that  again.  I  believe  yon  like  my  own 
heart  in   everything  yon  have  taught  to  me,  but  this 


244  ROMANCE  OF  THE  HAREM. 

sounds  like  the  story  of  a  little  child  who  wishes  to  say- 
something  more  wonderful  than  anything  that  was  ever 
said  before."  So  my  lesson  of  the  snow  proved  a  stum- 
bling-block to  me  for  several  days ;  my  pupils'  imagina- 
tions had  taken  alarm,  and  they  could  not  be  brought  to 
believe  the  simplest  statements. 

I  informed  his  Majesty  of  my  dilemma;  he  came  to 
my  aid,  and  assured  the  royal  children  that  it  was  just 
possible  that  there  was  such  a  thing  as  snow,  for  English 
books  of  travel  spoke  frequently  of  some  phenomenon 
which  they  designated  as  "  snow." 

On  another  occasion,  as  we  were  all  busily  engaged  in 
tracing  the  river  Nile  on  an  ancient  map  of  Egypt,  there 
fell  suddenly  from  the  vaulted  roof  above  our  heads,  and 
upon  the  very  centre  of  our  chart  on  the  table,  a  coil  of 
something  that  looked  at  first  like  a  beautiful  thick  silk 
cord  neatly  rolled  up ;  in  another  instant,  however,  the 
coil  unrolled  itself,  and  began  to  move  slowly  away.  I 
screamed,  and  fled  to  the  extreme  end  of  the  temple.  But 
what  was  my  surprise  to  see  all  my  pupils  sitting  calmly 
in  their  seats,  with  their  hands  folded  in  veneration  and 
their  eyes  fixed  in  glowing  admiration  on  the  serpent  as 
it  moved  in  tortuous  curves  along  the  entire  length  of  the 
table.  With  a  blush  of  shame  and  a  sense  of  inferiority 
I  returned  to  my  seat  and  watched  with  them  the  beauti- 
ful creature  ;  a  certain  feeling  of  fascination  dawned  upon 
me  as  I  looked  into  its  clear,  bright,  penetrating  eyes ; 
the  upper  part  was  of  a  fine  violet  color,  its  sides  covered 
with  large  scales  of  crimson  edged  with  black ;  the  abdom- 
inal parts  were  of  a  pale  rose-color  edged  likewise  with 
black ;  while  the  tail  terminated  in  tints  of  a  bluish  ash 
of  singular  delicacy  and  beauty.  As  the  snake  slowly 
dragged  itself  to  the  end  of  the  table  I  held  my  breath  in 
terror,  for  it  dropped  on  the  arm  of  the  chair  on  which 
the  Prince  Somdetch  Choufa  Chulalonkorn  was  seated, 


STRAY  LEAVES  FROM  Jill:  ROYAL  &  BOOL-ROOM  TABLE.  245 

whence  it  fell  on  the  floor,  trailed  itself  along  through  the 
dim  coiiid.-r  ami  down  the  steps,  and  finally  passed  out 
of  sight  under  the  stone  basement  of  the  temple 

On  the  moment  of  its  disappearance  my  pupils  jumped 

up  from  their  seats  and  clustered  around  me  in  the  wild- 
est joy,  caressing  me,  and  declaring  that  the  gods  loved 
me  dearly,  else  they  would  not  have  sent  me  snch  an  aus- 
picious token  in  favor  of  my  teaching,  [was  told  that 
the  gliding  of  the  snake  all  over  tin-  table  was  lull  of 
happy  omens,  and  that  its  dropping  on  the  arm  of  tin; 
Prince's  chair  was  an  munistakable  sign  thai  1m-  would 
one  day  become  famous  in  wisdom  and  knowledge.  All 
the  old  and  young  women  congratulated  me,  as  did  even  the 
king  himself,  who,  when  he  heard  of  the  singular  visitor 
we  had  had,  caused  the  circumstance  to  be  made  known 
to  the  wise  men  and  women  of  the  court,  and  they  all 
united  in  pronouncing  it  to  be  a  wonderful  and  inspiring 
recognition  of  favor  from  on  high.  From  this  time  I 
was  treated  with  great  consideration  and  respect  by  the 
simple-hearted  women  and  mothers  of  the  harem,  hut  I 
nevertheless  felt  not  a  little  uncomfortable  for  days  after 
the  sudden  descent  of  the  snake,  and  secretly  hoped  I 
might  never  again  be  so  signally  favored  by  the  goda 

I  afterwards  learned  that  this  snake  lias  three  names. 
In  Sanskrit  it  is  celebrated  as  the  Sarpa  Etakta,  th< 
snake,  who  brings  secret  omens  from  the  gods;  in  Pali, 
as  the  Naghalalvana,  the  crimson  Bnake  of  tin-  woods, 
who  carries  on  his  person  in  glowing  letters  the  name  of 
his  great  master;  and  in  Siamese,  Gnuthongdang,  the 
crimson-bellied  snake,  who  brings  with  it-  appearance  all 

that  is  Lr<".d  and  great  t-»  tin-  hcli.ild.-i-. 

I  leave  it  with  my  readers  to  decide  which  is  the  let- 
ter, our  inherited  dread  of  and  desire  t.»  destroy  the  ser- 
pent race,  or  the  Siamese  custom  of  idealizing,  though 
with  a  certain  superstitions  reverence,  the  meanest  of  the 
works  of  nature. 


246  ROMANCE  OF  THE  HAREM. 

Among  the  ladies  of  the  harem,  I  knew  one  woman 
who  more  than  all  the  rest  helped  to  enrich  my  life  and 
to  render  fairer  and  more  beautiful  every  lovely  woman  I 
have  since  chanced  to  meet.     Her  name  translated  itself 

—  and  no  other  name  could  ever  have  been  so  appropriate 

—  into  "Hidden  Perfume."  Her  clear,  dark  eyes  were 
clearer  and  calmer,  her  full  lips  had  a  stronger  expression 
of  tenderness  about  them,  and  her  brow,  which  was  at 
times  smooth  and  open,  and  at  others  contracted  with 
pain,  grew  nobler  and  more  beautiful  as  the  purposes  of 
her  life,  strengthened  by  new  elements,  grew  deeper  and 
broader  each  day. 

She  had  been  deprived  of  her  opportunity  of  loving  as 
a  wife  and  a  woman,  and  the  sorrow  that  had  broken  up 
the  fountains  of  her  nature  now  caused  them  to  flow  into 
deeper  channels,  for  she  had  become  an  earnest  and  de- 
voted mother. 

Our  daily  lessons  and  talks  had  become  a  part  of  her 
happiest  moments.  They  gave  her  entrance  into  a  new 
world,  without  requiring  that  she  should  abandon  any 
part  of  the  old  world  she  had  known,  or  that  she  should 
accept  any  new  religious  feelings  or  dogmas.  Her  aim 
was  to  find  out  all  things  that  are  pure,  noble,  brave,  and 
good,  and  to  adopt  them,  whether  Pagan  or  Christian  in 
their  origin,  and  to  leave  dogmas,  creeds,  and  doctrines 
to  those  who  were  inclined  to  them  by  temperament. 

One  day,  it  being  the  Siamese  Sabato  (Sabbath),  I  called 
at  her  house  on  my  way  home.  In  passing  into  the  little 
room  that  she  had  fitted  up  to  receive  me,  and  which  we 
had  dignified  with  the  title  of  "the  study,"  I  saw  that 
my  friend,  in  the  room  adjoining,  was  at  prayer,  kneel- 
ing before  her  altar,  on  which  was  a  gilt  image  of  the 
Buddha,  while  on  either  side  hung  pictures  of  the  king 
and  her  little  son.  The  room  in  which  she  knelt  was  a 
gay  one,  covered  with  Birmese  paper,  on  which  were  seen 


STRAY  LEAVES  FBOM  THE  BOYAL  BGHOOL-SOOM  TABLE,   247 

huge  lives,  some  standing,  and  others  uprooted  and  car- 
ried away  by  the  inundation  of  a  mighty  tropica]  river, 
here  and  there  drifting  along  passive  and  lifeless,  and 
anon  covered  with  gay  flowers.  Thousands  of  miles  dis- 
tant the  sun  left  open  his  golden  gates,  that  his  wai 
light  might  rest  in  benediction  and  with  protecting  fond- 
ness on  her  dark,  upturned  face  and  colored  brow.  There 
was  a  mysterious  joy  in  her  worship,  which  transfigured 
by  its  BOft  inner  light  her  otherwise  not  beautiful  face, 
and  she  seemed  as  if  she  were  holding  direct  communion 
in  her  inner  soul  with  the  Infinite  Spirit.  J  stepped  into 
the  study  and  waited  until  her  prayer  was  offered  up. 
In  a  little  time  after  I  heard  her  clear  voice  calling  me, 
and  in  another  moment  I  wras  seated  beside  her  at  the 
foot  of  her  pretty  little  altar.  She  then  asked  me  to  Look 
at  her  paper,  which  I  did,  telling  her  that  I  thought  it 
was  a  very  gay  one  indeed  for  her  little  oratory. 

"  I  see  you  do  not  understand  the  meaning  of  it."  And 
she  proceeded  to  explain  the  allegory  to  me  in  her  quaint 
and  broken  English. 

"  That  big  green  tree  there,"  said  she,  "  is  like  unto  me 
when  I  wTas  young  and  ignorant,  rejoicing  in  earthly  dis- 
tinctions and  affections;  and  then  I  am  brought  as  a  gift 
to  a  great  king,  and  only  think  how  grand  and  how  rich 
I  may  become ;  and  there  you  see  that  I  am  drooping  ami 
my  leaves  are  all  withering  and  begin  to  Call;  here  I  am 
shattered  and  uprooted  by  a  sense  of  sorrow  and  humilia- 
tion, drifting  along  an  impetuous  river,  but  by  and  by  a 
little  flower  stops  my  downward  course.  That  little  flower 
is  my  child;  he  springs  "lit  "l"  the  very  waters  which 
threatened  my  destruction ;  and  now  he  grows  into  a  gar- 
den of  flowers,  to  hide  away  from  me  that  which  would 
make  me  sad  and  sorrowful  again  ;  and  now  I  am  always 
glad." 

After  a  little  while,  desirous  of  knowing  what  the  glit- 


248  ROMANCE  OF  THE  HAREM. 

tering  image  of  Buddha  really  was  to  her,  I  said  kindly : 
"  Sonn  Klean,  you  were  praying  to  that  idol  ? " 

She  did  not  reply  at  once,  but  at  length,  laying  her 
hand  gently  upon  my  arm,  said :  "  Shall  I  say  of  you,  dear 
friend,  that  you  worship  the  ideal  or  image  which  you 
have  of  your  God  in  your  own  mind,  and  not  the  God  ? 
Even  so  say  not  of  me  that  I  worship  the  golden  image 
up  there,  but  the  Great  One  who  sent  me  my  teacher 
Buddha,  that  he  might  be  the  guide  and  the  light  of  my 
life/' 

On  another  occasion  when  she  read  and  translated  the 
Sermon  on  the  Mount,  she  suddenly  exclaimed  with 
great  emotion :  "  0,  your  sacred  P'hra  Jesus  is  very  beau- 
tiful !  Let  us  prom  ise  one  another  that  whenever  you 
pray  to  P'hra  Jesus  you  will  call  him  Buddha,  the  En- 
lightened One ;  and  I,  when  I  pray  to  my  Buddha,  I  will 
call  him  P'hra  Jesu  Karuna,  the  tender  and  sacred  Jesus, 
for  surely  these  are  only  different  names  for  the  one  and 
the  same  God." 

Her  favorite  book,  however,  was  "  Uncle  Tom's  Cabin," 
and  she  would  read  it  over  and  over  again,  though  she 
knew  all  the  characters  by  heart,  and  spoke  of  them  as  if 
she  had  known  them  all  her  life. 

On  the  3d  of  January,  1867,  she  invited  me  to  dinner, 
and  she  sent  to  me,  in  the  course  of  the  day,  so  many 
messages,  telling  me  to  be  sure  to  come,  that  I  began  to 
suspect  it  was  going  to  be  a  very  grand  entertainment. 
So  I  put  on  my  best  dress,  and  made  myself  as  fine  as  I 
could. 

My  friend  was  looking  down  the  street,  with  her  head 
and  shoulders  out  of  her  window,  as  we  appeared,  and  the 
moment  she  saw  us  she  rushed  to  greet  us  in  her  own 
sweet,  cordial  manner.  Dinner  was  served  in  the  study, 
for  it  boasted  of  one  table  and  five  chairs ;  but  our  party 
numbered  six  in  all,  so  my  boy  and  the  Prince  Kreta 


stkay  LEA.VB8  PROM  Tin:  BOTAL  &  BOOL-ROOM  TABLE.  249 

1  i'liiiiilutrii  were  obliged  to  Bqueeze  themselves  into  one 
chair,  and  then  there  was  one  apiece  for  the  rest  of  u& 
We  were  served  by  Peguan  slave-girls  in  the  Pegnan 
fashion,  on  little  silver  plates,  the  Blave-girls  kneeling 
around  us.  Fish,  rice,  jelly,  ami  a  variety  of  sweetmeats, 
came  first,  then  different  kinds  of  vegetables;  alter  them 
a  course  of  meat,  venison,  and  birds  of  all  kinds,  and  we 
finished  with  sweet  drinks,  preserves,  and  fruit. 

When  dinner  was  over,  my  friend,  in  conceit  with  her 
sisters  and  slave-girls,  performed  on  several  musical  in- 
struments with  wonderful  effect.  At  last  all  Sonn  Kh- 
an's slave- women  with  their  children  appeared  in  a  group, 
one  hundred  and  thirty-two  in  all,  in  nice  new  dre 
all  looking  particularly  happy. 

"I  am  wishful  to  be  good  like  Harriet  Beecher  Stowe," 
—  or  Stowa,  as  my  friend  persisted  in  pronouncing  that 
name, — "and  never  to  buy  human  bodies  again,  but  only 
to  let  go  free  once  more,  and  so  I  have  now  no  more 
slaves,  but  hired  servants.  I  have  given  freedom  to  all  of 
my  slaves  to  go  or  to  stay  with  me  as  they  wish.  If  they 
go  away  to  their  homes,  I  am  glad ;  if  they  stay  with  me, 
I  am  still  more  glad  ;  and  I  will  give  them  each  four  ticals 
every  month  after  this  day,  with  their  food  and  clothes." 

Thenceforth,  to  express  her  entire  sympathy  and  affec- 
tion for  the  author  of  "Uncle  Tom's  Cabin,"  she  always 
signed  herself  Harriet  Beecher  Stowe  ;  and  her  sweet  voice 
trembled  with  love  and  music  whenever  .-he  spoke  of  the 
lovely  American  lady  who  had  taught  her,  "even  as 
Buddha  had  once  taught  kin _  the  rights  of 

her  fellow-creatures. 

During  •  illness  which  confined  me  a  month  or 

more  to  my  room,  I  used  to  receive  the  most  affectionate 
letters  from  this  dear  lady,  signed  Barriel  Beecher  Stowe  ; 
and  when  I  once  more  returned  t«»  the  palace,  she  took 
all  the  credit  of  my  recovery  from  an  illness  so  fetal  as 
11* 


250  ROMANCE  OF  THE  HAREM. 

cholera  as  due  to  her  intercessions  and  prayers.  In  one 
temple  she  had  vowed  that  she  would  save  seven  thou- 
sand lives  if  mine  were  granted  to  her  prayers. 

I  was  perplexed  and  curious  to  know  how  she  would  per- 
form the  conditions  of  such  a  vow,  but  she  assured  me  there 
would  be  no  difficulty  about  it,  and  forthwith  despatched 
her  servant-women  to  the  market  to  purchase  seven  bas- 
kets, containing  eacli  a  thousand  live  fish,  which,  with 
great  pomp  and  ceremony,  were  set  free  again  in  the  river, 
and  the  seven  thousand  lives  were  thus  actually  saved. 

One  day,  when  I  was  sitting  with  my  friend  in  her  lit- 
tle study,  she  learned  that  I  had  recently  lost  a  very  dear 
relative,  and  she  related  to  me,  in  a  voice  full  of  the  ten- 
derest  sympathy  and  affection,  the  following  Buddhist 
legend,  which  I  give  here  as  nearly  as  possible  in  her 
own  words. 

"  In  the  village  of  Sarvathi  there  lived  a  young  wife 
named  Keesah,  who  at  the  age  of  fourteen  gave  birth  to 
a  son ;  and  she  loved  him  with  all  the  love  and  joy  of  the 
possessor  of  a  newly  found  treasure,  for  his  face  was  like 
a  golden  cloud,  his  eyes  fair  and  tender  as  a  blue  lotus,  and 
his  smile  bright  and  beaming  like  the  morning  light  upon 
the  dewy  flowers.  But  when  the  boy  was  able  to  walk, 
and  could  run  about  the  house,  there  came  a  day  when 
he  suddenly  fell  sick  and  died.  And  Keesah,  not  under- 
standing what  had  happened  to  her  fair  lotus-eyed  boy, 
clasped  him  to  her  bosom,  and  went  about  the  village  from 
house  to  house,  praying  and  weeping,  and  beseeching  the 
good  people  to  give  her  some  medicine  to  cure  her  baby. 

"  But  the  villagers  and  neighbors,  on  seeing  her,  said : 
'  Is  the  girl  mad,  that  she  still  bears  about  on  her  breast 
the  dead  body  of  her  child  ? ' 

"  At  length  a  holy  man,  pitying  the  girl's  sorrow,  said  to 
himself :  f  Alas  !  this  Keesah  does  not  understand  the  law 
of  death ;   I  will  try  to  comfort  her.'     And  he  answered 


sikav  LEA.VES  FROM   nil;  BO YAL  SCHOOL-BOOM  l.uu.l. 

her,  and  said;  'My  good  girl,  I  cannot  myself  give  you  any 
medicine  to  cure  your  boy,  but  1  know  a  holy  and 
physician  who  can.' 

"'0/  said  the  young  mother,  '  Jo  tell  me  who  it  is,  that 

I  may  go  at  once  to  him  ! ' 

"And  the  holy  man  replied,  'He  is  called  the  Buddha  ; 
he  alone  can  cure  thy  child.' 

"Then  Keesah,  on  hearing  this,  was  comforted,  ami  set 
out  to  find  the  Buddha,  still  clasping  to  her  heart  the  Lifeless 
body  of  her  child.  And  when  she  found  him  she  bowed 
down  before  him,  and  said:  '0  my  lord  and  master,  do 
you  know  of  any  medicine  that  will  cure  my  baby  V 

"And  the  Buddha  replied  and  said:  'Yes,  I  know  of 
one,  but  you  must  get  it  for  me.' 

"  And  she  asked  :  '  What  medicine  do  you  want  ?  Tell 
me,  that  I  may  hasten  in  search  of  it.' 

"  And  the  Buddha  said :  '  I  want  only  a  few  grains  of 
mustard-seed.  Leave  here  the  boy,  and  go  you  and  bring 
them  to  me.' 

"The  girl  refused  to  part  with  her  baby,  but  promised 
to  get  the  seed  for  him. 

"  As  she  was  about  to  set  out,  the  pitiful  Buddha,  recall- 
ing her,  said:  'My  sister,  the  mustard-seed  that  I  require 
must  be  taken  from  a  house  where  no  child,  parent,  hus- 
band, wife,  relative,  or  slave  has  ever  died.' 

"The  young  mother  replied,  'Very  good,  my  lord' ;  and 
went  her  way,  taking  her  boy  with  her,  and  setting  him 
astride  on  her  hip,  with  his  lifeless  head  resting  on  hex 
bosom. 

"  Thus  she  went  from  house  to  house,  from  palace  to 
hut,  begging  for  some  grains  of  mustard-seed. 

"The  people  said  to  her:  'Here  are  the  seeds;  take 
them,  and  go  thy  way.' 

"But  she  first  a-ke<l :  '  In  this,  my  friend's  house,  has 
there  ever  died  a  child,  a  husband,  a  parent,  or  a  slave  V 


252  ROMANCE  OF  THE  HAREM. 

"  And  they  one  and  all  replied :  '  Lady,  what  is  this  that 
thou  hast  said  ?  Knowest  thou  not  that  the  living  are 
few,  but  that  the  dead  are  many  ?  There  is  no  such 
house  as  thou  seekest.' 

"  Then  she  went  to  other  houses  and  begged  the  grains 
of  mustard-seed,  which  they  gladly  gave  her,  but  to  her 
questionings  one  said,  '  I  have  lost  a  son ' ;  another,  '  I 
have  lost  a  parent ' ;  and  yet  another,  '  I  have  lost  a  slave ' ; 
and  every  one  and  all  of  them  made  some  such  reply. 

"  At  last,  not  being  able  to  discover  a  single  house  free 
from  the  dead,  whence  she  could  obtain  the  mustard-seed, 
and  feeling  utterly  faint  and  weary,  she  sat  herself  down 
upon  a  stone,  with  her  baby  in  her  lap,  and  thinking 
sadly  said  to  herself :  '  Alas  !  this  is  a  heavy  task  I  have 
undertaken.  I  am  not  the  only  one  who  has  lost  her  baby. 
Everywhere  children  are  dying,  parents  are  dying,  loved 
ones  are  dying,  and  everywhere  they  tell  me  that  the 
dead  are  more  numerous  than  the  living.  Shall  I  then 
think  only  of  my  own  sorrow  ? ' 

"  Thinking  thus,  she  suddenly  summoned  courage  to  put 
away  her  sorrow  for  her  dead  baby,  and  she  carried  him 
to  the  forest  and  laid  him  down  to  rest  under  a  tree ;  and 
having  covered  him  over  with  tender  leaves,  and  taking 
her  last  look  of  his  loved  face,  she  betook  herself  once 
more  to  the  Buddha  and  bowed  before  him. 

"  And  he  said  to  her :  '  Sister,  hast  thou  found  the  mus- 
tard-seed ? ' 

" '  I  have  not,  my  lord,  she  replied,  '  for  the  people  in 
the  village  tell  me  there  is  no  house  in  which  some  one  has 
not  died ;  for  the  living  are  few,  but  the  dead  are  many.' 

" '  And  where  is  your  baby  ? ' 

" '  I  have  laid  him  under  a  tree  in  the  forest,  my  lord,' 
said  Keesah,  gently. 

"  Then  said  the  Buddha  to  her :  '  You  have  found  the 
grains  of  mustard-seed ;  you  thought  that  you  alone  had 


STRAY  LEAVES  FEOM  THE  ROY^L  SCIIOOL-KOom  TABLE.   253 

lost  a  son,  but  now  you  hare  learned  that  the  law  of  death 
and  of  suffering  is  among  all  living  ,  and  thai 

here  there  is  no  permanence.' 
u  On  hearing  this  Keesah  was  comforted,  and  established 

in  the  path  of  virtu.-,  and  was  thenceforth  called  K 
Godami,  the  disciple  of  the  Buddha."  * 

The  pleasantest  of  the  days  that  I  spent  in  tjie  city  of 
the  "Nang  Harm"  were  those  that  fell  on  the  first  full 
moons  in  the  months  of  May,  which  days  are  always  held 
as  the  anniversary  of  the  birth,  inspiration,  and  death  of 
the  Buddha.  On  the  morning  0f  the  21st  of  May,  i 
1  was  conducted  by  a  number  of  well-dressed  slave-wo- 
men to  the  residence  of  my  pupil,  the  "child  wife."  Eer 
house  was  a  brick  building  with  a  low  wall  running  round 
it,  which  took  in  some  few  acres  of  ground  devoted  to 
gardens  and  to  residences  for  her  numerous  slaves  and 
attendants.  I  was  the  first,  that  morning,  to  pass  betwi  ten 
the  two  brick  and  mortar  lions  which  guarded  the  en- 
trance, and  after  a  kindly  greeting  I  took  my  place  at  the 
inner  end  of  the  hall  or  antechamber  which  gave  access 
to  the  residence. 

The  "child  wife,"  a  remarkably  pretty  little  woman, 
dressed  in  pure  white  silk,  stood  in  the  hall  beside  a  small 
marble  fountain,  with  her  two  sons  on  either  ride  of  her. 
All  round  the  fountain  were  hu^e  China  vases  containing 
plants,  covered  with  flowers,  and  between  the]  i  were  im- 
mense silver  water-jars,  each  large  enough  to  hold  a 
couple  of  men,  and  each  containing  a  huge  silver  ladle, 
Thirty  or  more  young  slave-women  were  engaged  in  fill- 
ing tli. Mn  with  cool  fresh  water  drawn  from  a  well  in  the 
garden. 

The  hall  was  freshly  furnished  with  striped  floor-mat- 

*  Professor  F.  Max   Miilh-i    nWtioni  this  parable,   in  his  le.-ture  on 
"Buddhist  Nihilism,"  as  translated  from  the  Bum  m  by  Captain  EL  T. 

floors  ;  but  the  Binnese  text  is  slightly  different  from  that  of  the 
Siamese. 


254  ROMANCE  OF  THE  HAEEM. 

ting,  and  with  cushioned  seats  for  a  hundred  guests.  In 
the  garden  opposite  the  doors  of  the  hall  was  a  circular 
thatched  roof  supported  on  one  great  mast,  like  a  single- 
poled  tent,  and  this  was  the  theatre  erected  for  the  occa- 
sion. In  one  part  was  an  elevated  stage  for  the  mario- 
nettes, and  the  whole  was  very  gracefully  and  prettily 
ornamented,  showing,  as  did  everything  around,  a  desire  to 
please  and  to  entertain.  Some  fifty  women-porters  came 
from  an  inner  court,  bearing  on  their  heads  massive  silver 
dishes  of  sweetmeats  and  choice  viands,  and  placed  them 
along  the  hall ;  then  came  some  maidens  dressed  in  pure 
white,  and  arranged  flowers  in  small  gold  vases  beside  each 
of  the  seats  designed  for  the  expected  guests ;  and  when 
this  was  clone  they  took  their  places  behind  their  mistress. 

It  was  early  morning,  just  seven  o'clock.  But  this  en- 
tire woman's  city  had  been  up  for  hours  engaged  in  the 
important  work  of  rightly  celebrating  the  great  day.  The 
grounds  around  the  house  were  all  in  a  glow  with  roses, 
and  the  pure  silver  of  the  water-jars  glistened  resplen- 
dently  in  the  morning  sunlight. 

The  gate  was  thrown  wide  open,  and  into  this  fairy-like 
scene,  amid  flowers  and  sunshine  and  fragrance,  and  the 
dew  still  trembling  on  the  leaves,  were  ushered  in  the 
guests,  one  by  one,  —  a  hundred  decrepit,  filthy,  unsightly 
looking  beowr-women  covered  with  dirt  and  rags  and  the 

O  Do  c 

vilest  uncleanliness. 

And  the  "child  wife,"  who  might  have  numbered 
twenty-five  summers,  but  who  looked  as  if  she  were  only 
sixteen,  blushing  with  a  delicacy  and  beauty  of  her  own, 
advances  and  greets  her  strange  guests  with  all  the  more 
respect  and  tenderness  because  of  their  rags  and  poverty, 
leads  them  gently  and  seats  them  on  low  stools  around 
her  sparkling  fountain,  removes  their  disgusting  apparel, 
and  proceeds  with  the  aid  of  her  maidens  to  wash  them 
clean  with  fragrant  soap  and  great  draughts  of  cool  water 


stkav  LEAVES  FROM  THE  ROYAL  SCHOOL-ROOM  TABLE.   255 

ladled  out  of  the  silver  jars.  What  a  transformation, 
when  the  matted  hair  was  washed  and  combed  and  parted 
and  dressed  with  flowers,  and  the  rags  were  replaced  by 

i\v\v  robes  of  purest  white  !  Then  she  led  them  towards 
the  hall,  and  seated  them  on  the  silk  cushions  before  the 
silver  tray-,  and  hewed  on  her  knees  before  them  and 
served  to  them  the  delicacies  prepared  for  them,  as  it*  they 
each  one  and  all  deserved  from  her  some  special  token  of 
her  love  and  veneration.  After  breakfast  the  music  struck 
up  and  the  actors  and  puppets  appeared  on  the 
The  music  was  particularly  good.  The  royal  female  hands 
were  assembled  for  the  occasion,  and  relieved  each  other 
in  succession;  the  acting  was  occasionally  interspi  I 
with  the  plaintive  notes  of  female  voices;  the  priest 
of  this  beautiful  scene,  who  seemed  sometimes  deeply 
moved,  collected  from  within  themselves  all  the  charms 
and  joys  of  love  to  pour  them  forth  with  the  inspiration 
of  music  at  the  feet  of  their  lowly  listeners.* 

*  The  Siamese  are  naturally  very  fond  of  music,  and  even  persona  of 
high  rank  think  it  no  disparagement  to  acquire  a  proficiency  in  the  art. 
Whence  their  great  skill  in  music  and  in  architecture  it  would  be  diffi- 
cult to  explain,  more  especially  as  their  music  exhibits  great  ] 
genius  and  has  a  remarkably  pleasing  measure.    It  might  naturally  I 
posed  that  they  had  derived  their  music  from  the  same  BOUTCC  that  they 
have  their  religion  ;  the  softness,  the  playful  sweetness  and  simpli 
the  former,  seeming  to  harmonize  in  great  measure  with  the  human'  I 
the  pure  morality,  and  the  beauty  of  the  tatter. 

Tli'-  music  of  the  Siamese  Peguans  ami  of  Laos  differs  from  that  of  moat 
Indian  nations  in  being  played  apon  different  keys,  a  feature  which  char- 
acterizes the  pathetic  music  of  certain   European,  and  in  particular  the 

h  and  Welsh  nations.    Th  inly  no  harsh  ox  disagi 

sound,  no  abrupt  transition,  no  grating  sharpness  ;  all  is  soft,  lively, 
sweet,  and  harmonious  med  bi  me  quite  surprising. 

They  have  certainly  arrived  far  beyond  th--  point  of  being  merely  pi 
with  Bound.    They  have  far  a  higher  aim,  that  of  interesting  the  feelings, 
of  awakening  thought  or  emotion. 

Their  pieces  of  music  are  very  Dumerous  ;  BOmet>fthe  women  who  per- 
form before  the  king  know  by  heart  a  hundred  and  fifty  tunes  ;  their 
memory  and  their  performac  illy  remarkable  and  surprising. 


256  ROMANCE  OF  THE  HAEEM. 

And  at  length,  as  the  curtain  of  the  last  act  dropped, 
and  the  prolonged  cadence  of  the  voices  and  the  instru- 
ments died  away,  a  loud  buzz  of  delight  and  pleasure 
broke  from  the  listening  crowd  of  old,  decrepit  women, 
who  received  each  a  sum  of  money  from  their  kind  host- 
ess, and  went  on  their  lonely  way  rejoicing. 

"  This,"  said  my  friend  to  me,  "  I  do  every  year,  to  show 
my  love  and  obedience  to  my  dear  teacher,  the  Buddha." 
And  to  my  unaccustomed  heart  and  eyes  it  seemed  the 
sight  in  all  the  world  the  most  worth  gazing  upon. 


TIIE   SIAMESE   SYSTEM   OF  SLAVERY.  267 


CHAPTER    XXX. 

THE   SIAMESE   SYSTEM   OF   SLAVERY.* 

rjNDER  the  late  king,  his  Majesty  Somdetch  Phm 

\J  Paramendr  Maha  Mongkut,  there  existed  in  Siam 
a  mixed  system  of  slavery,  in  part  resembling  the  old 
system  of  English  feudal  service,  in  part  the  former 
dom  of  Russia,  and  again  in  part  the  peonage  of  Mexico. 
Three  fourths  of  the  population  of  Siam  are  in  this 
condition  of  modified  slavery,  branded  with  the  mark 
of  their  owners,  or  held  by  their  creditors  in  a  form  of 
qualified  servitude  to  work  out  a  debt.  The  royal  family, 
princes,  and  chief  rulers  and  magistrates  of  the  country,' 
are  the  only  exceptions  to  this  rule.  But  even  they  are 
obliged  to  serve  the  king  in  times  of  war,  or  to  provide 
a  fitting  substitute. 

"  Slaves,"  in  the  minute  subdivisions  of  the  law,  are 
classed  under  seven  different  heads :  first,  prisoners  of 
war;  second,  slaves  by  purchase  ;  third,  slaws  by  birth; 
fourth,  by  gifts  and  legacies;  fifth,  those  who  become 
slaves  from  gratitude;  sixth,  voluntary  alavea  in  times  of 
famine:  seventh,  debtors  and  their  children. 

But  these  may  all  be  embraced  in  three  general  classes, 
called  Prie,  Baw,  and  Batt,  that  of  slaves  by  birth  and 
attached  to  the  land,  of  slaves  by  purchase,  and  of  slaves 
captured  in  war. 

The  prisoners  of  war  and  their  descendants  are  com- 
posed of   the    following   nations   and   numbers:    Malays, 

*  For  the  following  statements  I  am  indebted  to  the  late  king,  who 
▼ay  kindly  furnished  me  with  s  copy  of  the  Siamese  "Slave  Laws,"  from 

which  these  pages  are  translated,  as  if  the  system  still  existed. 

Q 


258  ROMANCE  OF  THE  HAEEM. 

fifty  thousand ;  Cochin-Chinese,  seventy-five  thousand ; 
Peguans,  one  million ;  Laotians,  twenty-five  thousand;  and 
Birmese,  fifty  thousand.  All  these,  with  few  exceptions, 
belong  to  the  kings  of  Siam.  Some  few  are  given  to  the 
principal  nobles  and  chiefs  who  have  distinguished  them- 
selves in  the  state ;  but  even  these,  with  their  descend- 
ants, are  held  as  Baw  Chow  Chewitt,  —  the  king's  slaves. 
The  Cochin-Chinese  captured  in  war,  and  all  their  nu- 
merous descendants,  belong  exclusively  to  the  second 
king,  —  the  first  or  supreme  king  having  a  positive  an- 
tipathy to  that  people.  They  are  formed  into  an  army 
under  the  command  of  the  second  king,  to  guard  his  per- 
son, palaces,  harem,  etc. 

The  Malays  and  Peguans  are  employed  as  sailors  and 
soldiers  in  company  with  the  native  Siamese.  These  are 
all  branded  on  the  left  side  a  little  below  the  armpit,  and 
they  are  bound  to  serve  three  months  in  every  year ;  the 
remaining  time  they  may  employ  in  their  own  private 
interests. 

The  slaves  by  purchase  are  divided  into  two  classes, 
"  redeemable  "  and  "  irredeemable."  The  first  class  must 
furnish  security  that  they  will  fulfil  the  legal  require- 
ments of  their  masters.  These  can  always  free  them- 
selves by  refunding  the  purchase-money,  or  can  change 
their  masters  on  procuring  payment  of  the  sum  due  to 
the  old  masters. 

The  second  class  are  chiefly  young  girls  sold  by  their 
parents,  relatives,  or  owners ;  with  these  no  security  is 
either  given  or  taken,  because  they  generally  become  the 
wives  or  concubines  of  the  buyer.  As  a  natural  con- 
sequence more  than  four  fifths  abscond  whenever  they 
get  an  opportunity,  and  the  owner  has  no  redress.  Wo- 
men-slaves are  not  branded  or  enrolled  as  the  men-slaves 
are. 

Husbands  may  sell  their  wives,  parents  their  children, 


Tin:  SIAMESE  SYSTEM   OJ  SULYEBY.  259 

and  masters  their  slaves  and  debtors;  but  no  one  ran  sell 
an  adult  man-slave  after  he  i>  sixteen,  or  a  woman-slave 
after  she  has  attained  puberty,  without  his  or  hex  con- 
sent 

Trices  of  slaves  vary  according  to  the  appearance, 
color,  strength,  physical  proportions,  and  parentage  of  the 
person  sold,  from  one  hundred  and  twenty  tdcalfl  for  men, 
and  sixty  to  a  hundred  ticals*  for  women.  But  if  the 
woman  be  fair  and  pleasing  in  form  ami  feature,  she  will 
bring  as  much  as  a  thousand  ticals  for  the  harem  of  a 
great  noble. 

The  method  of  selling  one's  self  is  very  simple.  Every 
man,  on  becoming  a  slave,  signs  an  agreement,  of  which  I 
give  a  copy  below.  This  paper  his  master  retains,  but  is 
obliged  to  surrender  whenever  the  slave  produces  the, 
amount  mentioned  in  it. 

"Wednesday,  the  seventh  day  of  the  waning  moon  of 
the  year  1227  of  the  little  era  Choola  Sakarat/f  I,  Khow, 

*  A  tical  may  be  valued  at  from  fifty  to  sixty  cents  of  the  Spanish  dollar. 

t  The  Siamese  months  are  lunar  months;  each  is  divided  into  two 
parts,  i.e.  Khang  Khun  and  Khang  Ram,  waxing  and  waning  moon. 
Six  of  the  months  have  thirty,  and  six  twenty-nine  days.     To  compen- 
sate for  the  deficiency  of  the  eleven  days  which  are  required  to  D 
full  solar  year,  they  have  an  intercalary  month  of  thirty  days  once  in 
three  years,  and  there  being  still  a  loss  of  about  three  days  in  nil 
years,  this  is  supplied  by  an  arbitrary  addition  of  a  day  to  the  seventh 
month  of  such  years  as  may  be  selected   by  the  Brahmin   aatrol 
whose  business  it  is  to  observe  the  sun's  path  in  the  heavena,  ami  to  an- 
nounce all  variations  in  the  calendar.     At  the  very  moment  of  the  ran'a 
crossing  the  equator,  they  make  proclamation  of  the  advent  of  each  new- 
year,  accompanied  by  a  hm>t   of  mU8M  and  by  the  firing  of  givatguns, 
both  from  the  palace  and  the  city  walls. 

The  Siamese  have  two  cyclea,  one  within  the  other;  the  greater  is 
twelve,  ami  the  leaser  ten  yean  in  duration.  Every  year  in  each  cycle 
I  own  peculiar  name.    Their  aaered  era  i>  reckoned  from  the  time 

of  the  death  of  the  Buddha  (2415).  It  i-  denominated  Buddha  Sakarat. 
Their  civil  era  is  called  Choola  Sakarat,  and  is  reckoned  from  the  time  of 
its  establishment  (1233)  by  P'hra  Kooang,  a  Siamese  king  of  great  celeb- 
rity. 


2 GO  ROMANCE   OF  THE  HAREM. 

sell  myself  to  Nai  Dang  for  ticals  one  hundred  and  twen- 
ty, to  be  refunded  by  me,  Khow,  at  the  time  and  hour  of 
being  set  free." 

Such  is  the  bill  of  sale.  But  as  it  generally  happens  that 
the  parents  have  also  sold  themselves,  some  other  security 
is  required,  which  is  given  in  another  paper.  The  value 
of  anything  that  the  slave  may  break  or  destroy  is  added 
to  the  original  account. 

The  masters  are  bound  to  furnish  their  slaves  with  rice 
and  fish  daily,  but  not  with  clothes. 

The  position  of  the  slaves  by  birth  differs  in  no  respect 
from  that  of  slaves  by  purchase,  with  the  exception  that 
while  the  prices  of  the  latter  vary,  the  price  of  the  former 
is  fixed  by  law  for  every  age,  size,  and  sex,  and  the  own- 
ers cannot  demand  more  for  them  than  that  which  is 
determined  by  the  law. 

The  severest  punishment  for  slaves  is  being  made  to 
work  in  chains.  If  no  improvement  takes  place  from 
this  punishment,  the  slave  is  handed  over  to  the  king's 
judges,  and  is,  provided  the  crime  or  misdemeanor  is 
proven,  incarcerated  in  the  Siamese  convict  prison,  —  a 
punishment  to  which  death  itself  is  preferable. 

The  principal  hardship  that  the  slave  suffers  is  being 
obliged  to  marry  at  the  will  of  his  or  her  owner,  and  this 
with  a  people  who  are  highly  susceptible  of  conjugal 
affection  is  often  the  cause  of  great  suffering  to  the 
women. 

Then  comes  the  difficulty  of  lodging  a  complaint  against 
their  masters  for  an  insufficiency  of  food,  and  sometimes 
for  an  absolute  want  of  clothes,  for  which  latter  even  the 
law  does  not  hold  the  master  responsible. 

There  are  four  conditions  under  which  a  slave  is  freed 
from  the  obligations  of  servitude, —  slaves  voluntarily 
manumitted  by  their  masters;  slaves  admitted  to  the 
priesthood ;  those  who  are  given  to  serve  the  priests ;  and 


THE  SIAMESE  SYSTEM   OF  SLAVERY,  'J'- 1 

when  tlie  master  himself  fcakea  the  VOWS  of  a  priest^  be  ifl 
obliged  to  tree  all  his  slaws,  as  tin-  eoclesiastica]  court 

will  not  otherwise  receive  him  into  the  priesth 1,  and 

he  can  at  no  time  reclaim  them  for  actual  service,  ui 
on  quitting  the  priesthood  he  repurchases  them. 

Debtors  may  be  made  slaves  when  they  do  not  pay  the 
interest  for  money  borrowed,  and  will  not  work  to  make 
good  the  failure  of  payment;  and  in  case  of  death  the 
nearest  relative  becomes  a  slave  till  the  original  amount, 
with  the  interest  added,  is  refunded.  The  rati.'  of  in! 
in  Siam  is  about  thirty  per  cent,  and  the  poor  are  unable, 
unless  by  labor,  to  pay  such  an  exorbitant  rat.'. 

If  the  bought  or  rather  the  redeemable  slave  should 
die  in  his  master's  service,  —  even  after  a  lifetime 
of  labor,  —  the  security  must  refund  the  original  sum  or 
become  a  slave  in  his  stead.  If  a  slave  be  sick,  and  ifl 
attended  to  during  his  illness  in  his  master's  house,  the 
security  is  liable  for  the  interest  of  the  slave's  purchase- 
money  during  the  period  of  illness.  When  children  are 
sold  under  the  full  value,  they  must  not  be  beaten  till 
they  bleed. 

AVhen  a  slave  volunteers  out  of  affection  for  his  m 
or  mistress  to  take  his  or  her  place  in  prison  or  in  torture, 
one  half  of  his  or  her  purchase-money  must  be  refunded 
to  the  security.     But  if  the  slave  is  irredeemable,  no  part 
is  to  be  refunded. 

If  a  man  sell  a  slave,  and  after  receiving  the  mqney  re- 
fuse to  give  him  or  her  up  to  the  purchaser,  he  shall  pay 
double  the  sum, —  three  fourths  to  the  buyer  and  one 
fourth  into  the  government  or  state  treasury. 

If  a  buyer  disapprove  of  a  slave  before  three  months 
have  elapsed,  he  may  recover  his  mom 

If  a  master  strike  his  slave  BO  that  he  die,  no  claim  can 
be  made  upon  the  security,  and  the  master  shall  be  pun- 
ished according  to  the  law. 


262  ROMANCE  OF  THE  HAKEM. 

Anything  that  a  slave  may  break  can  be  added,  at  the 
will  of  the  owner,  to  the  purchase-money. 

If  in  herding  cattle  he  be  negligent,  and  they  be  lost, 
he  shall  pay  for  them ;  if  more  be  given  into  his  charge 
than  he  can  attend  to,  he  shall  pay  only  half;  but  if  rob- 
bers bind  him  and  steal  the  cattle,  he  cannot  be  held 
responsible. 

Any  claim  against  a  slave  must  be  made  by  the  owner 
before  he  is  sold  to  another  party. 

If  a  master  or  mistress  force  a  female  slave  to  marry 
one  man  when  she  has  openly  professed  a  preference  for 
another,  half  her  redemption-money  must  be  remitted. 

If  a  slave  go  to  war  instead  of  his  master,  and  fight 
bravely,  he  must  be  set  free  at  the  termination  of  the  bat- 
tle. If  he  fight  only  ordinarily  well,  half  his  purchase- 
money  shall  be  remitted. 

If  a  master  repurchase  a  slave,  and  he  die  in  his  ser- 
vice, he  can  demand  only  half  the  original  amount  from 
his  security. 

If  a  slave  begin  to  plant  rice,  he  cannot,  even  if  able, 
purchase  his  freedom  until  the  harvest  is  over. 

If,  when  rice  is  dear,  a  man  sell  himself  to  slavery  be- 
low the  standard  value,  when  rice  gets  cheap  the  price  must 
be  raised,  and  the  balance  paid  over  by  the  purchaser. 

If  a  slave  injure  himself  while  at  his  master's  work, 
compensation  must  be  made  according  to  the  nature  of 
the  injury. 

If  a  slave  die  in  the  stead  or  in  the  defence  of  his  mas- 
ter, nothing  can  be  demanded  from  the  security. 

In  all  cases  of  an  epidemic,  nothing  can  be  claimed 
from  the  security. 

If  a  man  have  several  wives,  and  the  lesser  sell  them- 
selves to  the  higher  wives,  or  the  poorer  to  the  richer,  no 
interest  can  be  claimed  on  the  purchase-money,  as  they 
are  considered  sisters  in  the  sight  of  the  law. 


THE  BIAHESE  SYSTEM   OB  SLAVERY. 

If  the  slave  demand  a  change  of  mastere,  and  the  n 
ter  cannot  dispose  of  him,  he  nrast  take  him   to  the 
judges  to  sell;  and  if  they  find  no  purchaser  within  three 
days,  he  must  return  to  his  master  and  be  thenceforward 

Kliai-Khat,  irredeemable. 

If  a  slave  run  away,  the  money  expended  in  apprehend- 
ing him  or  her  must  be  added  to  his  original  account 

Slaves  having  children,  the  children  become  slaves,  and 

must  be  paid  for  according  to  age. 

If  a  master  compel  a  slave  to  bear  a  child  against 
her  will,  both  she  and  the  child  are  free  in  the  sight  of 
the  law,  even  if  irredeemable  at  first. 

If  a  slave  complain  against  his  master,  the  judges  will 
not  file  the  complaint  unless  he  has  first  paid  hifl  pur- 
chase-money, except  in  cases  of  murder  and  treason. 

If  a  slave  accuse  his  master  falsely  of  capital  crimes, 
Ins  tongue  and  lips  shall  be  cut  off.     But  if  the  chai 
true,  he  shall  receive  his  freedom,  even  if  Khai-Khat   ir- 
redeemables. 

If  a  slave  make  money  on  his  or  her  own  private  ac- 
count, at  his  or  her  death  it  will  become  the  property  of 
the  master.  But  if  the  money  be  left  to  him,  it  shall  go 
to  the  nearest  relative. 

In  all  cases  of  doubt  between  the  slave-woman  and  her 
master,  the  law  shall  protect  the  mother,  and  the  children 
must  be  given  to  her  if  she  bring  the  price,  under  penalty 
of  forfeiting  both  mother  and  child 

Two  slaves,  husband  and  wife,  brother  and  iving 

their  names  on  the  same  bill  of  sale  if  one  run  away,  the 
other  shall  be  charged  with  the  entire  debt. 


264:  ROMANCE  OF  THE  HAREM. 


I 


CHAPTEE  XXXI. 

THE  ROYAL  PROCLAMATIONS. 

N"  the  beginning  of  the  reign  of  P'rabat  Somdetch 
P'hra  Paramendr  Maha  Chulalonkorn,  a  new  era 
dawned  upon  the  kingdom  of  the  white  elephant. 

On  the  11th  of  October,  1868,  a  royal  proclamation 
of  the  new  and  auspicious  reign  was  made  in  all  parts  of 
the  vast  kingdom  and  provinces  of  Siam,  and  a  national 
holiday  was  appointed.  The  multitudinous  pagoda  bells 
rang  all  day,  while  louder  still  boomed  the  cannon,  up  went 
the  rockets,  and  aloft  streamed  the  red  and  white  banners 
of  the  white  elephant.  Still  higher  rose  the  glad  hearts 
of  the  princes  and  chiefs  of  the  people,  and  low  in  rever- 
ential attitudes,  even  in  the  very  dust,  were  bowed  the 
heads  of  the  millions  of  the  enslaved  subjects. 

Classed  with  the  sod,  and  of  as  little  account  as  the 
earth  out  of  which  they  obtain  so  scanty  a  subsistence, 
branded  as  cattle  with  the  mark  of  their  owner,  what 
have  they  to  do  with  the  glad  shouts  and  the  loud  rejoic- 
ings that  resound  on  every  side  ? 

To  them  it  means  only  a  change  of  owners,  and  roy- 
alty is  the  name  fixed  to  the  other  end  of  the  enslaving 
rod  of  power  :  "  The  right  divine  of  kings  to  govern 
wrong." 

There  can  be  no  auspicious  reign  or  any  happy  future 
for  the  slave. 

The  royal  messages  of  peace  and  good- will  may  find  an 
echo  in  the  freedman's  heart  and  in  his  home,  but  they 
must  ever  come  with  a  darkening  power  and  as  a  sadden- 
ing cloud  to  the  home  and  the  heart  of  the  slave.   An  irre- 


KING    OF   SI  \M 


THE   ROYAL   PROCLAMATIONS.  265 

deemable  beast  of  burden,  what  has  he  to  hope  from  an 
auspicious  reign,  or  the  enthronement  of  a  promising 
ereign  ? 

Yet  that  these  millions  of  enslaved  men  and  women 

are  not  brutes  or  wild  beasts,  or  even  devoid  of  noble  and 
generous  emotions,  is  proved  by  the  most  astonishing 
acta  of  devotion  and  self-sacrifice  performed  by  slaves 
for  the  masters  and  mistresses  whom  they  have  learned 
to  love. 

Any  one  who  from  curiosity  or  with  a  higher  motive 
may  visit  the  prisons  in  the  city  of  Bangkok  will  find,  to 
his  great  surprise,  that  nearly  one  half  of  the  inmates  are 
slaves  voluntarily  expiating  the  crimes  and  wrong-doings 
of  their  masters  and  mistresses,  or,  as  is  often  the  case, 
mothers,  daughters,  wives,  or  sisters  enduring  all  the 
hardships  of  a  Siamese  prison  —  and  words  would  fail 
me  adequately  to  describe  the  amount  of  Buffering 
which  those  two  words  imply  —  in  the  place  and  for 
the  sake  of  sons,  husbands,  or  unworthy  relatives.  The 
strength  that  is  in  these  slaves  to  suffer  is  the  strength 
of  love.  Love  combined  with  despair  gives  them  the 
awful  and  wonderful  power  of  utter  self-sacrifice. 

The  rights  which  every  man  should  enjoy  in  his  wife, 
his  children,  and  his  own  labor,  and  which  should  be  the 
most  sacred  and  inviolable  rights,  are  here  placed  at  the 
mercy  of  a  master,  and  are  oft-times  to  the  slave  the  very 
fetters  of  his  galling  servitude 

But,  since  that  i  ,  e  r-to-be-remembered  11th  of  October, 
18G8,  a  new  empire  has  arisen  out  of  tin-  ashes  of  the  "Id. 
The  traditions  and  customs  of  centuries  are  a-  naught 
A  fresh  start  has  been  made,  a  young  king  full  of  gener- 
ous impulses  and  noble  purposes  reigns;  and  how  he  in- 
tends to  govern  may  be  gathen  -d  from  his  second  royal 
proclamation  to  his  people  on  the  subject  of  religion :  — 

"In  regard  to  the  concern  of  seeking  and  holding  a 

12 


266  ROMANCE  OF  THE  HAREM. 

religion  that  will  be  a  refuge  to  you  in  this  life :  it  is  a  good 
and  noble  concern,  and  it  is  exceedingly  appropriate  and 
suitable  that  you,  as  a  nation,  and  each  man  individually, 
should  investigate  for  himself,  and  according  to  his  own 
wisdom,  which  is  the  right  and  which  the  wrong ;  and 
if  you  see  any  religion  whatever,  or  any  body  of  men  pro- 
fessing any  religion  whatsoever  who  seem  likely  to  be  an 
advantage  to  you,  —  a  true  religion  in  accordance  with 
your  own  wisdom,  —  hold  to  that  religion  with  all  your 
heart ;  hold  to  it  not  with  a  shallow  mind,  or  after  slight 
investigation,  or  even  because  of  its  tradition,  saying  this 
is  the  custom  held  from  time  immemorial,  but  from  your 
own  deep  faith  in  its  excellence;  and  do  not  profess  a 
religion  for  the  truth  of  which  you  have  not  good  evi- 
dence, or  one  which  frightens  men  through  their  fears  and 
flatters  them  through  their  hopes. 

"Do  not  be  either  frightened  or  flattered  into  doing 
what  is  right  and  just,  and  do  not  follow  after  fictitious, 
signs  and  wonders. 

"  But,  when  you  shall  have  obtained  a  firm  conviction 
in  any  religious  faith  that  it  is  true,  beautiful,  and  good, 
hold  to  it  with  great  joy,  follow  its  teachings  alone,  and  it 
will  be  a  source  of  happiness  to  each  one  of  you. 

"  It  is  our  will  that  our  subjects  of  whatever  race,  na- 
tion, or  creed,  live  freely  and  happily  in  our  kingdom,  no 
man  despising  or  molesting  another  on  account  of  relig- 
ious difference,  or  any  other  difference  of  opinions,  cus- 
toms, or  manners." 

This  is  the  second  important  message  from  the  young 
king,  who  has  just  ascended  the  throne  of  his  fathers,  to 
his  subjects,  both  bond  and  free. 

The  great  old  dukes  and  princes  and  nobles  of  the 
realm  feel  in  their  hardened  hearts  that  it  is  barely  gra- 
cious, and  certainly  not  at  all  graceful,  in  one  so  young, 
to  ignore  all  that  magnificent  past.     But  the  young  mon- 


THE    ROYAL    PBO<  L  AM  A  ll<  267 

arch  is  true  to  his  early  promise,  and  his  next  step  is 
quietly  to  abolish  the  customary  prostration!!  before 
perior,  and  to  inaugurate  a  new  costume  for  hia  people, 
which  will  enable  the  wearer,  whoever  he  may  be,  prince, 
ruler,  chieftain,  or  slave,  to  stand  Pace  to  face  with  hia  fel- 
low-men and  erect  in  the  presence  of  his  sovereign. 

And  now  let  us  mark  the  next  step  made  in  the  path 
of  progress  and  freedom  by  this  noble  young  Buddhist 
monarch. 

Sears  ago,  in  the  little  study  in  his  beautiful  p 
called  the  "  Rose-Planting  House,"  when  a  mere  boy,  on 
hearing  of  the  death  of  President  Lincoln,  he  had  declared 
"  that  if  he  ever  lived  to  reign  over  Siam,  he  would 
over  a  free  and  not  an  enslaved  nation  ;  that  it  would  be 
his  pride  and  joy  to  restore  to  his  kingdom  the  original 
constitution  under  which  it  was  first  planted  by  a  small 
colony  of  hardy  and  brave  Buddhists,  who  lied  from  their 
native  country,  Magadan,  to  escape  the  religious  p 
tions  of  the  Brahminical  priests,  who  had  arrived  at  Ayu- 
dia  and  there  established  themselves  under  one  of  their 
leaders,  who  was  at  once  priest  and  king.  They  called  the 
spot  they  occupied  "Muang  Thai,"  — the  kingdom  of  the 
free,— and  this  kingdom  now  extends  from  the  northern 
slopes  of  the  mountains  of  Yuman  in  China  to  the  Gulf 
of  Siam. 

Nobly  has  he  striven  to  keep  this  aspiration  of  his 
early  boyhood;  and  as  he  went,  day  after  day,  to  take  his 
place  at  the  head  of  his  government,  and  to  the  nightly 
sittings  of  the  Secret  Council  of  the  state,  he  endeavored 
to  hold  unflinchingly  to  his  one  great  purp 

On  the  first  opportunity  that  offered  he  urged  the  aboli- 
tion of  slavey  upon  the  Prince  Regent,  his  unci.',  and  the 
Prime  Minister;  then  again  he  brought  it  before  the 
mighty  Secret  Council,  sitting  at  midnight  in  the  hall 
of  his  ancestors.    "  I  see,"  says  the  brave  young  king,  "  no 


268  ROMANCE  OF  THE  HAREM. 

hope  for  our  country  until  she  is  freed  from  the  dark 
blot  of  slavery." 

The  Prince  Eegent  and  the  Prime  Minister,  though  al- 
most persuaded  by  the  vehement  pleading  of  the  young 
and  fearless  king,  replied :  "  It  is  impossible  to  free  a 
nation  of  slaves  without  incurring  much  risk  and  danger 
to  the  state  and  to  the  slaveholders.  Under  the  exist- 
ing laws,  Siam  could  not  abolish  her  system  of  slavery 
without  undermining  at  the  same  time  her  whole  con- 
stitution." 

"  Well,"  said  the  young  king,  "  let  it  be  so ;  but  my 
slaves,  my  soldiers,  and  my  debtors  are  my  own,  and  I 
will  free  them  at  least,  whatever  my  ministers  may  see  fit 
to  do ;  for  my  part,  no  human  being  shall  ever  again  be 
branded  in  my  name  and  with  my  mark." 

What  strange  words  from  one  so  young ! 

The  Secret  Council  meet  again  and  again  to  discuss  the 
matter,  and  at  length  they  decide  —  for  they  too  have  the 
good  of  their  country  at  heart  —  to  let  the  young  king 
have  his  own  way. 

Then  the  royal  boy  king  sends  another  message  sum- 
moning the  heads  of  all  his  people,  from  every  depart- 
ment of  his  vast  kingdom,  to  appear  together  in  his  audi- 
ence hall,  and  to  receive  the  royal  message. 

Standing  on  the  lowest  step  of  his  glittering  throne,  he 
greets  the  chief  rulers  and  governors  and  judges  of  his  peo- 
ple, and  utters  these  remarkable  words :  "  Let  this  our 
royal  message  to  our  people  be  proclaimed,  and  not  as  if 
we  were  doing  a  great  and  lordly  thing,  but  our  simple 
duty  to  our  fellow-men  and  subjects,  that  from  the  first 
day  of  January,  1872,  slavery  shall  cease  to  be  an  insti- 
tution in  our  country,  and  every  man,  woman,  and  child 
shall  hold  themselves  free-born  citizens ;  and  further  let 
it  be  made  known,  that  a  tax,  according  to  the  circum- 
stances of  each  and  every  man,  shall  be  levied  on  the 


THE    ROYAL    IK",  LAM  ATI- 

nation  to  remunerate   the  slaveholders  for  the  loss  of 
their  slaves." 

The  effect  of  this  speech  upon  the  listeners  can  hardly 
be  imagined.  It  was  like  the  winged  words  of  an  angel 
from  heaven,  and  the  young  monarch  descended  from  the 
last  step  of  his  throne,  having  firmly  laid  the  cornel 
on  which  the  greatness  of  his  reign  and  his  nation  will 
forever  rest  unshaken.  But  seeing  that  his  astonished 
hearers  remained  rooted  to  the  spot,  still  doubting  whether 
they  had  heard  aright,  he  added:  "We  bind  ourselves 
to  fulfil  our  word  to  our  subjects  at  large,  no  matter 
what  the  cost  to  ourselves.  Go  you  and  proclaim  our 
royal  will." 

When  the  wonderful  tidings  were  actually  proclaimed, 
the  people  listened  as  though  they  heard  not ;  at  best  they 
distrusted  the  good  report,  and  received  the  wondrous 
words  as  if  they  were  merely  the  sounding  of  brass  and 
the  tinkling  of  cymbals  in  their  ears. 

Confidence  is  a  plant  of  slow  growth ;  but  how  slow 
must  its  revival  have  been  in  the  place  whence  it  has 
once  been  torn  up  by  the  roots  !  So  the  people  turned  a 
deaf  ear  to  the  loving  messages  of  their  young  king,  and 
went  on  their  sad  way  not  a  whit  happier. 

But  when  the  1st  of  January,  1872,  had  actually  ar- 
rived, and  they  absolutely  found  themselves  "  free  "  men 
and  women,  their  patient,  loving  hearts  well-nigh  burst 
asunder  with  joy. 

The  glad  cries  of  the  ransomed  millions  penetrated  the 
heart  of  the  universe,  and  the  "Despair"  of  the  nation 
flapped  her  dark  wings  and  fell  down  dead  at  the  golden 
feet  of  the  royal  ransomer. 

The  prison  doors  are  open,  and  all  the  prisoners  by 
proxy  and  those  who  were  slaves  by  reason  of  their  great 
poverty  or  their  greater  love  find,  to  their  amazement, 
that  the   sun  of  freedom  has  risen  for  them,  and  who 


270  ROMANCE  OF  THE  HAEEM. 

shall  fathom  the  depth  of  their  joy  ?  But  the  land  is  full 
of  flower  shows,  and  unfurled  standards,  and  cool  foun- 
tain displays,  fireworks,  illuminations,  and  theatrical  exhi- 
bitions. The  music  of  thousands  of  choristers  and  the 
glad  huzzas  of  congregated  myriads  rend  the  air.  Let 
them  dance  and  laugh  and  sing  ;  they  have  had  enough 
of  slavery  and  too  little  of  freedom,  and  the  great  hymn 
of  the  nation  ascends  to  the  Euler  of  kings  for  the  "  Ban- 
somed  One,"  "  Glory  to  God  in  the  highest,  and  on  earth 
peace  and  good- will  towards  men." 


THE  END  OF  THE  ROMANCE. 


TKMI'LK    AND    RUINS   0¥   KAMPOOT. 


A  LEGEND  OF  THE  GOLD  AND  SILYKK  MINKS  01  BUM.     271 


A  LEGEND   OF  THE  GOLD  AND   SUA  I  I: 
MINES   OF   SLAM. 

VELA  CHOW,  or  the  Beautiful  Dawn,  was  the  only 
daughter  of  a  very  powerful  king  of  Ayudia,  She 
was  so  wondrously  beautiful  that  the  old  Brahmins  and 
astrologers  who  foretold  her  birth  named  her,  even  before 
she  was  born,  the  Beautiful  Dawn,  as  the  only  appropriate 
name  for  her. 

Now  it  happened  that,  at  the  time  of  Vela  Chew's 
birth,  there  was  no  moon  to  illuminate  the  fair  earth,  but 
the  golden  sun  and  the  green  earth  enjoyed  a  much 
closer  and  more  intimate  friendship  than  they  now  do,  and 
old  age,  sickness,  and  death  were  unknown  to  the  blessed 
and  undying  people  of  Ayudia. 

But  as  the  mighty  king  Somdetch  P'hra  Batt,  the  duke 
of  the  golden  foot,  had  reigned  nearly  three  thousand 
five  hundred  years  without  ceasing,  he  became  weary  of 
the  cares  of  state,  and  thereupon  abdicated  in  favor  of 
his  young  son,  P'hra  Batt  Bandethano,  a  vigorous  youth 
of  not  more  than  five  hundred  years  of  age,  who  was 
even  from  his  childhood  an  especial  favorite  of  the  ruby- 
faced  and  warm-hearted  monarch  P'hra  Athiett,  i.  e.  the 
Sun. 

In  the  course  of  time,  the  friendship  between  these 
two,  Bandethano  and  P'hra  Athiett,  sovereigns  of  the 
earth  and  sky,  ripened  to  such  a  degree  of  perfection  that 
the  latter  was  loath  to  withdraw  his  bright  beaming  face 
from  his  young  friend's  kingdom,  even  to  seek  his  couch 
for  a  little  rest  at  night,  as  had  been  his  custom  from  time 
immemorial;  thus  he  beamed  forth  both  night  and  day 


272     A  LEGEND  OF  THE  GOLD  AND  SILVER  MINES  OF  SIAM. 

in  saffron  hues  on  the  fair  mountains  and  lovely  valleys 
of  the  invincible  city  of  Ayudia,  and  the  land  flourished 
in  luxuriance  and  beauty,  the  fruits  and  flowers  rivalled 
those  that  grew  and  blossomed  in  Indra's  own  garden,  and 
countless  birds  of  marvellous  plumage  winged  their  flight 
from  distant  worlds  to  build  their  nests  and  warble  their 
exquisite  melodies  among  the  proud  forests  of  this  fa- 
vored land.  As  for  the  men  of  this  region,  they  were  tall 
and  stately  and  of  golden  mien,  like  the  laughter-loving 
Gandharwas  of  Indra's  paradise,  and  the  women  were  glo- 
riously beautiful,  fair  as  silvery  clouds,  with  eyes  of  won- 
drous hue ;  so  that  no  mortal  man  could  look  upon  one 
of  them  and  not  yield  his  spirit  to  the  sweet  frenzy  of 
inextinguishable  love. 

Away  flew  the  golden  days  and  nights,  and  round  and 
round  rushed  the  radiant  chariot- wheels  of  P'hra  Athiett, 
and  thousands  and  thousands  of  years  sped  away,  but  he 
never  relaxed  the  speed  of  his  swift  coursers,  nor  drew  in 
his  rainbow-tinted  reins,  nor  turned  away  even  for  an 
instant  his  glowing  eyes  from  this  favored  kingdom. 

Now,  things  having  gone  on  in  this  way  for  several 
thousands  of  years,  yet  no  sweet  slumber  had  ever  closed 
the  godlike  eyes  of  P'hra  Athiett,  and  all  the  lovely  Dow- 
astras,  i.  e.  the  stars,  finding  themselves  totally  eclipsed, 
their  brilliancy  and  beauty  marred  by  this  unceasing 
sleeplessness  on  the  part  of  their  sovereign,  formed  the 
wicked  and  cruel  design  of  revolting  against  him,  and  of 
taking  possession,  by  some  means  or  other,  of  his  golden 
car. 

Accordingly,  instead  of  going  to  sleep,  as  had  hitherto 
been  their  practice  during  the  day,  they  all  plotted  to- 
gether to  hide  themselves  behind  the  many-tinted  curtain 
of  their  monarch's  chariot,  and  to  watch  his  movements, 
in  order  to  discover  the  cause  of  the  singular  attraction 
that  drew  him  forever  towards  the  earth,  while  he  left  his 


A  LEGEND  OF  THE  GOLD  AND  SILYKK  MINKS  Of  SI  AM. 

own  vaulted  and  ethereal  hemisphere  to  the  tender 
cies  of  stray  suns  or  wandering  comets. 

Having  ratified  with  many  an  oath  and  many  a  vow 
their  wicked  compact,  the  treacherous  Dowi 

of  jzoiiiir  to  bed  like  the  dutiful  children  of  a  land  and 
beneficent  ruler,  only  pretended  to  sleep,  but  all  the  while 
kept  opening  and  shutting  and  blinking  their  bright,  in- 
quisitive little  eyes,  winking  at  one  another  and  peering 
behind  the  golden  curtains  of  the  royal  chariot  at  their 
unconscious  master,  who,  fully  believing  that  all  his  sub- 
jects were  sound  asleep,  grew  brighter  and  brighter,  while 
over  his  round,  genial  face  there  beamed  forth  a  smile  of 
ineffable  radiance  as  he  approached  the  earth.  At  this 
very  moment  the  rebellious  Dowastras,  wondering  at  the 
blissful  face  of  their  monarch,  peered  out  from  behind  the 
rainbow-hued  drapery  of  the  celestial  chariot  and  turned 
their  penetrating  eyes  towards  the  earth,  where,  to  their 
astonishment,  they  beheld  the  matchless  form  and  the 
divinely  beautiful  face  of  Vela  Chow,  who  was  lulling 
her  wearied  father  to  rest  with  the  music  of  her  sweet 
voice. 

*  Ah  !  ah  ! "  laughed  the  wicked  Dowastras,  "  now  we 
have  found  out  the  secret. " 

As  soon  as  she  had  soothed  her  father  to  sleep,  the 
lovely  Vela  Chow,  all  unconscious  of  what  was  happen- 
ing around  her,  sauntered  forth  among  the  unfrequ 
woods  and  dells,  making  the  voiceless  hills  and  rocks  re- 
echo her  merry  notes  in  melodious  sounds;  now  culling 
rare  wild  flowers  to  wreathe  round  her  lovely  brow,  now 
bathing  her  little  feet  in  the  cool  crystal  waters  of  a  purl- 
ing brook  that  murmured  gently  through  the  mountain 
caves  and  caverns,  and  anon  raising  her  glad  heart  in 
thanksgiving  and  praise  to  the  great,  beneficent,  and  glo- 
rious P'hra  Athiett. 

At  length  she  sat  herself  down  in  the  deep  solitn  I 

12  *  ■ 


274    A  LEGEND  OF  THE  GOLD  AND  SILVER  MINES  OF  SIAM. 

rest ;  and  as  she  listened  to  the  gentle  zephyrs  that  fanned 
her  yellow  tresses  or  rustled  amidst  the  topmost  boughs 
of  the  "  green-haired  "  forest  trees,  the  birds  plucked  for 
her  the  ripest  and  the  sweetest  fruits,  and  some  dropped 
them  at  her  side,  and  others,  less  timid,  hovered  around  her, 
holding  them  in  their  tender  bills,  each  fluttering  against 
the  other  and  striving  to  be  the  favored  one  to  whom  she 
would  open  her  sweet  mouth  to  be  fed;  and  while  the 
many-hued  birds  were  thus  rivalling  each  other  in  their 
delicate  attentions  to  the  lovely  maiden,  it  chanced  that  a 
gorgeous  butterfly,  more  glorious  than  any  she  had  ever 
before  seen,  alighted  on  a  neighboring  flower.  Up  sprang 
Vela  Chow,  and  away  she  flew  after  it,  from  flower  to 
flower,  from  shrub  to  tree,  until  at  last  the  tantalizing  but- 
terfly flew  so  high  in  the  air  that  the  eager  damsel  could 
do  no  more  than  raise  her  fair  face  and  sparkling  eyes  to 
follow  its  airy  flight  through  the  bright  sky.  Just  at 
this  moment  P'hra  Athiett's  golden  chariot  was  coming 
over  the  hill,  and  he  smiled  a  smile  of  such  ineffable  de- 
light when  he  caught  sight  of  her,  that  he  dazzled  the 
eyes  of  the  poor  little  maiden ;  and  as  she  could  no  longer 
see  the  beautiful  butterfly,  she  was  obliged  to  relinquish 
all  idea  of  capturing  it.  So  she  retraced  her  disconsolate 
steps  to  her  lonely  mountain  stream,  and  plunged  into  its 
waters,  in  the  hope  of  finding  therein  refreshment  and  for- 
getfulness  of  her  cruel  disappointment. 

But  P'hra  Athiett  was  not  to  be  thus  baffled;  so  he 
noiselessly  climed  higher  and  higher,  and  approached 
nearer  and  nearer,  and  smiled  so  much  more  warmly  than 
ever,  that  he  once  more  quite  overpowered  the  weary 
maiden,  who  suddenly  vanished  from  his  sight,  sought  ref- 
uge in  her  favorite  mountain  cavern,  and  there  fell  sound 
asleep. 

For  a  moment  poor  P'hra  Athiett  was  disconcerted, 
and  a  great  pain,  like  a  dark  heavy  cloud,  shot  up  from  his 


A  LEGEND  OF  THE  GOLD  AND  SILVER  MINES  OF  MAM.     276 

heart  and  overspread  his  bright,  happy  face,  and  he  knew 

not  what  to  do  ;  but  the  next,  he  broke  forth  into  B  more 
joyous  smile  than  ever,  for  lie  was  just  as  fool] 
was  old,  and  had  been  on  the  Lookout  all  these  thou- 
sands of  years,  night  and  day,  hoping  to  catch  a  gli] 

of  this  incomparable  maiden ;    the  mom<  >,  ln- 

fell  desperately  in  love  with  her,  and  he  could  oot  make 
up  his  mind  to  perform  his  journey  without  one  more 
look  at  her  sweet,  pure  face;  therefore,  instead  of 
on  his  way  through  the  sky,  he  changed  his  course,  and 
drove  at  a  furious  rate  down  the  mountain-side  towards 
the  cavern,  alighted  from  his  chariot,  and  crept  Boftly 
into  the  cave  where  the  lovely  Vela  Chow  slumbered,  and 
smiled  upon  her  with  such  rapturous  tenderness  that  the 
sleeping  maiden's  heart  was  penetrated  ami  compl 
captivated.  She  opened  her  beautiful  eyes  with  a  joyful 
sense  of  a  new  and  delicious  emotion  upon  Fhra  Athiett, 
who  beamed  upon  her  so  lovingly  and  with  such  irre- 
sistible pleadings  in  his  godlike  eyes,  that  she  could  not 
refuse  to  return  his  affection,  and  they  there  and  then  ex- 
changed vows  of  eternal  friendship  and  love. 

But  alas!  while  the  all-unconscious  and  happy  1 
were  thus  fondly  conversing  together,  and  Fhra  Athiett 
was  painting  in  glowing  words  the  beauty  of  his  heavenly 
dwelling-place,  the  wicked  Dowastras  in  all  haste  rushed 
to  the  mountain-side,  drove  off  the  golden  chariot,  and 
unharnessed  the  swift-winged  coursers.  Having  thus  cut 
off  his  retreat,  they  raised  a  shout  of  triumph,  de] 
their  infatuated  monarch,  and  established  a  republic 
among  themselves,  permitting  neither  stray  suns  nor  wan- 
dering comets  to  have  anything  to  do  with  their  govern- 
ment 

Poor  P'hra  Athiett,  who  was  now  aboul  to  conduct  his 
sweet  happy  bride  to  his  celestial  kingdom,  found,  to  hifl 
consternation  and  grief,  that  his  golden  chariot  had  van- 


276     A  LEGEND  OF  THE  GOLD  AND  SILVER  MINES  OF  SI  AM. 

ished.  He  bowed  his  head,  and  his  great  joyous  face  be- 
came suddenly  overcast ;  all  its  light  and  glory  departed, 
while  large  tears  like  mountain  torrents  rolled  from  his 
godlike  eyes,  and  streamed  upon  the  earth,  and  were  there 
and  then  transformed  into  nuggets  of  the  purest  gold. 

Then  the  mountains,  pitying  his  sufferings,  opened 
their  hearts,  and  revealed  to  him  a  secret  passage  by 
which  he  might  regain  his  heavenly  abode. 

P'hra  Athiett  bade  a  sad  adieu  to  the  lovely  Vela 
Chow,  and,  with  promise  of  speedy  return,  set  out,  shed- 
ding golden  tears  all  along  the  way,  in  search  of  his  miss- 
ing chariot.  And  as  for  the  unhappy  Vela  Chow,  the 
moment  she  lost  sight  of  her  beloved  P'hra  Athiett,  she 
drooped  her  fair  head  in  unspeakable  sorrow,  and  followed 
him  with  aching  heart  and  faltering  step  all  the  way, 
searching  for  the  lost  chariot,  and  shedding  abundantly 
her  bright  beautiful  tears,  which,  as  they  fell  upon  the 
rocky  sides  of  the  mountains,  changed  their  flinty  arte- 
ries into  veins  of  the  purest  and  most  precious  silver. 

Thus  the  grief  of  these  two  godlike  hearts  served  to  en- 
rich the  country  with  endless  wealth. 

At  the  end  of  twelve  hours,  however,  the  wicked  stars 
repented  of  their  cruel  conduct,  and  a  fresh  compact  was 
made  between  the  republican  Dowastras  and  the  godlike 
lover  P'hra  Athiett,  wherein  it  was  expressly  agreed  that 
for  a  fortnight  in  every  month  he  should  pick  up  his 
beautiful  bride  at  the  mouth  of  the  cavern  and  take  her 
with  him  to  his  celestial  home ;  but  that  for  the  rest  of 
the  month  she  should  unveil  her  matchless  face,  and  re- 
veal her  exquisite  beauty  to  the  Dowastras,  and  rule  over 
them  in  the  sky,  —  for  they  all,  it  seems,  had  also  fallen 
desperately  in  love  with  her,  —  and  it  was  distinctly  stip- 
ulated that  P'hra  Athiett  should  never  attempt  to  ap- 
proach her  while  she  reigned  as  their  queen  and  mistress 
in  the  heavens ;  and  to  distinguish  her  in  her  new  regal 


A  LEGEND  OF  THE  GOLD  AND  SILVKU  MINKS  01  BUM.     2  i  7 

character,  the  Dow&str&s  changed  her  name  from  "Vela 
Chow"  to  "Bupea  Chandra," —  the  Sflver  B£oon. 
To  all  this  Fhra  Athiett  readily  assented;  for  he 

impatient  to  regain  his  chariot,  and   to   bear   away   his 
lovely  bride. 

But  it  is  said  that  even  to  this  day,  while  Vela  Chow 
is  presiding  in  queenlike  splendor  over  the  jealous  Dow- 
astras,  Fhra  Athiett  is  foolish  enough  at  times  (for  HOW 
and  then  he  cannot  restrain  his  affection)  to  attem] 
kiss  her.  When  all  the  Siamese,  fearing  lest  he  should 
again  be  dethroned,  turn  out  en  masse,  and  shunt,  an. I  fire 
cannons,  and  beat  drums,  to  warn  him  of  the  impropriety 
of  his  proceedings;  which  in  the  space  of  two  or  three 
hours  —  this  being  the  time,  it  is  said,  that  sound  I 
to  travel  to  the  sun  and  moon — generally  produces  the 
desired  effect  of  recalling  the  monarch  to  himself 

Thus  are  the  gold  and  silver  mines,  and  the  lunar  and 
solar  eclipses,  accounted  for  in  the  Siamese  legends  ;  and 
annual  pilgrimages  are  still  made  to  the  cavern  where  the 
lovely  Vela  Chow  plighted  her  troth  to  P'hra  Athiett.  • 


Cambridge  :  Electrotyped  and  Printed  by  Welch,  Digelow,  &  Co. 


I  niversit)  ol 
North  c  arolina 

al 

(  hapel  Hill 


[cquired  Through  the 
Fund  Established 

SARAH  GRAHAM  kl  \  \\ 


K\K!     Hook  (  <ii  I  I 


Travel 

DS568 

.L59 


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